An ISIS gunman has been shot dead in the south of France after killing three people and injuring multiple others.

Redouane Lakdim, 26, hijacked a car in the town of Carcassonne before storming a nearby Super U supermarket where he was shot dead by French police.

This marks the first terror attack since Emmanuel Macron was elected in May last year and comes after a series of attacks in Paris and Nice in 2015 and 2016.

Here is how events unfolded:

Prior to the attack: Redouane Lakdim, believed to be of Moroccan descent, was flagged to intelligence services and appeared in a database of radicalised militants.

He was also known to authorities for petty crimes including drug dealing.

Lakdim was incarcerated in Carcassonne some time in 2016, according to Le Parisien, though it is unclear what for.

The paper also reports he was very active on Salafist networks online and was suspected of having made a trip to Syria, though it is not known when.

French police say Lakdim hijacked a car in his hometown of Carcassonne, shot at four police officers on the edge of town, then drove to Trebes where he took hostages

Morning, Friday March 23: Lakdim, who reportedly lived with his mother and three or four sisters in Carcassonne, is seen walking his little sister to school

Some time before 11am: Lakdim hijacks a car somewhere in his home town.

A passenger in the vehicle is shot in the head and killed while the driver is wounded before the terrorist drives away.

Approximately 11am: The attacker opens fire on four policemen jogging near the edge of town.

One officer is wounded after being hit in the shoulder. Bullets also strike a nearby car, shattering the back window. Lakdim escapes in the stolen vehicle.

A car that was hit with bullets as Lakdim fired at jogging police officers, leaving one of them with a bullet wound to the shoulder

Approximately 11.15am: Gunshots are reported at a Super U supermarket in the town of Trebes as Lakdim storms in, taking hostages.

Two people are later shot dead, though it is unclear precisely when or why.

French police initially say a dozen people are wounded, though uncertainty remained around the exact toll on Friday afternoon.

Some time before 2pm: A French policeman makes his way into the supermarket after agreeing to swap himself for a hostage. He is later wounded, though it is not clear exactly how.

Approximately 2pm: French police storm the supermarket, shooting Lakdim dead.