PARIS, Oct 3 - A man wielding a knife stabbed and killed four officers at the police headquarters in the heart of central Paris on Thursday, before being shot dead.
The premises were cordoned off after the lunchtime attack in the historic centre of Paris, usually thronged with tourists, and dozens of police and emergency vehicles had converged at the scene.
At least one metro station in the vicinity of the building, which is close to Notre-Dame cathedral and other major tourist attractions, was closed.
Sources said the attacker was shot dead by police in the courtyard of the building, where he was employed. The man worked in an administrative capacity, but it was not immediately clear what his precise work role was.
An emergency message was broadcast over loudspeakers at the courthouse next door, announcing �an attack� at the police headquarters and stating the area was �under surveillance�.
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, who was due to visit Turkey later on Thursday, postponed his trip to visit the scene of the attack.
The Paris prosecutor is at the scene, but anti-terror agencies have not been involved at this stage. There was no immediate indication of the possible motives of the attacker.
France has been rocked since 2015 by a succession of attacks blamed on jihadists, which have included both large synchronised assaults and isolated knife and gun attacks, killing more than 250 people. The country remains on high alert after these attacks. � AFP
