A knife attacker who killed his mother and sister in a Paris suburb has been killed by police.

The man, who had been on a terror watch list since 2016 for expressing extremist views, was shot after confronting police in the run-down southwestern commune of Trappes.

Another person was seriously injured in the attack.

Jean-Jacques Brot, government administrator of the Yvelines region, confirmed in a tweet that the attacker had been "neutralised" and had died.

Image: French interior minister Gerard Collomb speaks to journalists near the scene

The motive for the violence remains unclear.


Islamic State claimed responsibility for the knife attack through its Aamaq news agency, but offered no proof to confirm this.

"My first thoughts go to the victims and their loved ones," interior minister Gerard Collomb wrote on Twitter.

"I want to commend the security forces for their exemplary reaction and mobilisation."

Hours before the attack, IS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi urged followers to attack enemies everywhere by all means - including knife attacks.

France has been on constant alert for terrorist attacks since the Paris attacks of 2015.

Experts urge caution about IS announcements - the group having lost credibility after recently claiming seemingly unrelated violence on the battlefield in the Middle East.

Image: French police secure a street after a man killed two people and injured one other in a knife attack in Trappes

The suburb of Trappes, which is around 16 miles from the centre of Paris, is known for gang violence and poverty and has a population of around 30,000.

It is only a short drive from the wealthy area of Versailles.

Around 50 locals are suspected of having left France to fight for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, according to French security sources.