Paris Knife Attack: Four Officers Dead After Stabbing At Police Headquarters

Four officers have been killed after a knife attack inside Paris police headquarters, French media reports. 

The man behind the attack was shot dead, and is believed to be a member of staff at the headquarters, a police source told Reuters.

According to French news channel BFM TV, the attacker was armed with a ceramic knife that could have bypassed metal detectors. 

Loic Travers, local head of the Alliance police union, said the incident happened around 1pm on Thursday at the headquarters, which are located just across the street from Notre Dame Cathedral.

He added the attack appears to have begun in an office and continued elsewhere inside the large compound.

There was no word on any motive but the employee allegedly responsible for the violence apparently never posed any problems before.

A spokesman for Paris police said he had no comment.

Footage from the scene posted on social media showed police initiating a large cordon and ushering people away from the scene.

The Metro station near where the attack occurred has been closed.

It was not immediately clear how far inside the building the assailant got before police shot him.

French media say the country’s interior minister and the Paris prosecutor were on their way to the scene.

An official at the Paris prosecutor’s office said its anti-terrorist unit had not yet been called upon to investigate.

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