At least four officers have died in a brazen knife attack at Paris’ police headquarters, according to reports. The suspect, said to be an employee at the station, was shot dead.

The police headquarters, situated in the heart of the city, is located across the street from Notre Dame Cathedral.

At least four police officers were killed, according to French television channel BFM. Law enforcement sources told Reuters that the attacker was killed.

A spokesman for the Paris police has declined to comment on the incident.

The metro station near the police building has been shut down for security reasons, the city’s transport authority announced following the attack.

URGENT - Attaque au couteau à la préfecture de police à Paris sur des policiers. Plusieurs victimes, l’assaillant abattu. Important dispositif en train de se mettre en place. pic.twitter.com/cwCQCej7vR — Remy Buisine (@RemyBuisine) October 3, 2019

French Interior Minister Christoper Castaner is en route to inspect the crime scene, according to local media.

The suspect is believed to have been an administrative officer working in a secure part of the building, making it easy for him to enter the premises, a source told the Sun newspaper. It is thought that he used a ceramic knife that could not be picked up by metal detectors.

The attack comes a day after French police went on strike nationwide over an uptick in violence towards officers and rising suicide rates within the force.

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