At least three are dead and four are injured after a lone gunman opened fire on a street in Paris.
A 69-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident, the prosecutor's office said.
The shooting occurred in the French capital’s 10th arrondissement, near the Kurdish Cultural Centre Ahmet-Kaya, at 16 rue d'Enghien.
The lone man opened fire at several people, causing fear and panic among passersby as one witness told the French news agency AFP that seven or eight shots had been fired.
A shopkeeper in the area told AFP: “It was total panic. We locked ourselves inside.”
"A pensioner in his 70s got into the building [Kurdish centre] and appeared to start shooting at random," said a source to the Mirror at the centre, on Rue d’Enghein.
They continued: "Police were called and arrested him, while also confiscating his weapon. The authorities are now advising people to avoid the area."
The gunman was described by police as a retired train driver and referring to the French national railway company, an investigating detective said: "He is a French national who was with SNCF for many years.
An investigating source said he was a "far-Right racist fanatic" who had just been released from prison where he served time for attacking two Sudanese refugees with a sabre.
It also emerged that the ex-railway driver, who has not been identified, launched attacks on a restaurant and hairdresser today too.
Resident Emmanuel Boujenan told AFP that the man had been arrested in a hair salon.
"There were people panicking, shouting to the police and pointing to the salon 'he's in there, he's in there, go in'," he said.
He said he saw two people on the floor of the salon with leg wounds.
"It appears that he is a far-Right racist fanatic who was targeting anyone who looked like an immigrant," said another source.
Paris police tweeted that a police operation was underway and asked people to avoid the area, which is close to a number of busy shopping streets.
The reason for the shooting wasn't immediately clear.
Anti-terrorism prosecutors are in contact with investigators but haven't indicated any sign of a terrorist motive at this stage.
It was a year ago that the man went on a rampage in a refugee camp in Paris, he reportedly used a sabre to slice two men, and damaged six tents at a camp in the Bercy park in the 12th arrondissement of Paris.
"He was wounded when one of the refugees was disarming him. Two Sudanese refugees were badly wounded in the attack", a source said.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo thanked police "for their decisive intervention this morning during the terrible attack in the 10th. Thoughts to the victims and their families. We are on their side."
