According to Sky News, there are mixed reports about the man.
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The man charged at armed officers outside the station in the Barbes neighbourhood of northern Paris, wielding a large butcher’s knife and wearing what was later discovered to be a fake bomb vest.
Today at 11:30 an individual carrying a weapon similar to a butcher’s cleaver and a fake explosive device arrived in front of the police station of the 18th arrondissement.
A police representative confirmed to CNN that shots were fired near a station.
But police union sources warned that it was impossible to rule out the possibility of further attacks.
Examining the man’s body, officers found a mobile phone and a piece of paper bearing an image of the ISIL terror group’s flag, as well as an unspecified message in Arabic, the statement also said. The attacks left 20 people dead, including three terrorists.
“On Thursday morning, a man attempted to attack a policeman at the reception of the police station before being hit by shots from the police”, said interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet.
A police official said police are viewing the incident as “more likely terrorism” than a standard criminal act.
The attack happened one year to the day since the Charlie Hebdo killings in the French capital and at noon, around the same time that gunmen shot dead cartoonists and others at the satirical magazine’s headquarters on January 7, 2015.
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“In a country where the level of threat is extremely high, the police, gendarmes, the security forces… are on the frontline”, he said.
