A man armed with a knife attacked officers at police headquarters in Paris on Thursday and was shot dead by the police, according to ACTU17, a local media outlet.
The assailant, whose motives remain unknown, is said to have entered police headquarters and attacked a police officer, wounding him with his weapon.
The perpetrator was then neutralised by the police officer with his service weapon. While the attacker's identity is yet to be revealed, a police source told local media that he was an administrative officer at the police headquarters.
A French police union official confirmed later that four police officers were killed as a result of the attack.
Paris pleure les siens cet après-midi après cette effroyable attaque survenue à la @prefpolice. Le bilan est lourd, plusieurs policiers ont perdu la vie. En mon nom et celui des Parisiens, mes premières pensées vont aux familles des victimes et à leurs proches.
— Anne Hidalgo (@Anne_Hidalgo) October 3, 2019
The attack took place around 1 p.m on the Ile de la Cite, an island in the centre of Paris, which houses the prefecture, the commercial court and Notre-Dame cathedral.
#Attaque au couteau Prefecture : « Vous quittez l’île » dit un policier aux passants @BFMParis @BFMTV Un policier a été grièvement blessé pic.twitter.com/BAQFvUt0zr
— Barthelemy Bolo (@B2Bolo) October 3, 2019
The Paris metro station "Cité" has been closed for security reasons, according to the transport authority.
13:35, la station Cite est fermée (mesure de sécurité) #RATP #ligne4
— Ligne 4 RATP (@Ligne4_RATP) October 3, 2019
URGENT - Attaque au couteau à la préfecture de police à Paris sur des policiers. Plusieurs victimes, l’assaillant abattu.
— Remy Buisine (@RemyBuisine) October 3, 2019
Important dispositif en train de se mettre en place. pic.twitter.com/cwCQCej7vR
The perimeter around the nearby police headquarters was also cordoned off.
