The incident occurred in the Opera district near Paris’s main opera house. Witnesses said police first tried to tase the attacker before killing him
A man attacked bystanders with a knife in the heart of Paris on Saturday, killing at least one before being shot dead by police, French authorities have confirmed.
Before the victim’s death was reported, BFM TV said four people were injured, two seriously. The attack reportedly occurred in the city’s Opera district.
The French government has denounced the attack as “odious”. The identity of the attacker has not been made public and his motive for the incident remains unclear.
Journalist Charles Pellegrin tweeted: “I came out of a comedy show near Opera in central Paris and was immediately told to go back in because there was a madman with a knife.
“Once back inside we heard sirens and 2 gun shots. I then spoke to eyewitnesses who told me a man stabbed multilple people at random.”
In a second tweet, he wrote: “The eyewitnesses then told me police tried to tazer the attacker. This did not work, so they fired two shots.
“Police have now set up a perimeter and say the situation is under control. Ambulances are rushing to the scene.”
Twitter user Fiona Zanetti tweeted: „I was in a restaurant rue saint Augustin in the 2eme arrondissement, crowd panic, blood, a guy with a knife in the streets and people screaming, avoid the area if you can.“
This story is developing. Refresh for more details.
