"Allah Akbar': Terrorist attack in Paris

Two dead, several injured in Paris knife attack

Stuff,

13 May, 2018

A knifeman has killed one person and wounded four others in a suspected terror attack in central Paris, French officials say.

The attacker was later shot dead by police in the Opera area. Witnesses say they heard him shout "Allah Akbar".

Paris police confirmed the attacker was armed with a knife, and have opened a terrorism investigation.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said the alleged attacker was "neutralised" by police and praised officers for their actions.

Collomb denounced the "odious attack" in a tweet.

"A person attacked five people in the second district of Paris. Police intervened immediately," Pierre Gaudin, a senior official at the Paris prefecture, told reporters.

"The individual died. Another person, seriously injured (by the attacked) died from their injuries."

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo tweeted (in FrencH): "Tonight our city was bruised.

"I want to tell them that all Parisians are on their side,"

Paris has been under higher security in recent years after a string of deadly Islamic extremist attacks.

Eyewitnesses described to French media how people were rushing back into restaurants from the streets.

"Please only share information coming from a trusted source," the police tweeted.