A man has been shot dead by police in the coastal French city of Marseille after at least five people were injured during a knife rampage this afternoon.
At least one of the victims was taken to hospital in critical condition after the incident outside a fast food restaurant in Bouches-du-Rhône on Tuesday.
A witness said he saw a man with ‘two large butcher knives’ at the scene. French outlet BFMTV said the suspect carried two knives and an iron bar.
Graphic footage of the incident appeared to show police shooting the suspect several times outside a Turkish restaurant.
A witness at the scene told French media that police ‘tried to arrest [the perpetrator]’ before ‘the man tried to attack a police officer with a knife’.
‘The officer shouted “stop, stop” before hearing gunfire.’
A source told Le Figaro that the suspect was a Tunisian national who was under judicial supervision and prohibited from carrying a weapon.
A motive for the attack was unclear.
Sources told the outlet that the attacker had clashed with staff at a hotel where he was said to have stopped paying for his accommodation.
The hotel manager and a guest were said to be among those injured in the fracas, before the perpetrator went into the street and threatened police officers.
Police and firefighters were deployed to the scene and had set up a security perimeter by 4pm local time.
Umbrellas belonging to the restaurant were initially put out to cover the bodies while investigators worked on the scene.
The suspect was reportedly hit with an electric shock pistol before being shot.
He died shortly after being taken to hospital, French outlet La Provence reports.
All victims were injured by a long knife and treated by emergency services, Le Figaro reports.
Le Parisien and Le Figaro reported that five people had been injured in the attack.
The AFP news agency reported that ‘at least four people’ were stabbed.
The suspect, who has not been named, was identified only as a Tunisian national and legal resident of France by BFMTV.
Local public transport services were suspended due to the attack.
La Provence described the site of the incident as a ‘stone’s throw’ from the Old Port of Marseille.
The National Police in Bouches-du-Rhône have not yet officially commented on the incident.
Interior minister Bruno Retailleau is expected to report to Marseille’s police station over the attack this evening.