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The French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb confirmed that the attacker died shortly after causing disruption in the French capital.

It is unclear how the man – who was known to security services – had died and nobody was hurt.

There were no casualties, although the attacker was carrying weapons and explosives.

(Image: TWITTER)

Visiting the scene of the attack, Mr Collomb said: “Again the forces of law and order in France were targeted, this time with an attack on the Champs-Elysées against a police patrol.

“The assailant used ‘arms and explosives’, as well as his car, but the ‘individual is now dead’.”

The Minister said the security threat in France will remain “at its highest level” and the State of Emergency will “remain in place permanently for the foreseeable future”.

Officers cordoned off a huge area close to the presidential Elysee palace and also warned people to avoid the area.

(Image: GETTY)

The Marigny theatre was evacuated and the Champs-Elysées-Clémenceau metro station was also closed, local reports suggest.

Eyewitnesses saw the man being pulled from the car as it burned and footage later showed an officer stripping clothes from the body.

People in the area took to social media to report the carnage that had unfolded in Paris – including the moment the attacker was “downed” by cops.

(Image: REUTERS) (Image: REUTERS)

A witness, who was just 20 metres from the scene, said: “Large bangs followed by what sounded like shots fired near a car with smoke coming out of it on Champs-Elysées.”

Another said: “Large explosion and shots fired on Champs-Elysées #Paris looks like on person on ground.. everyone told to run..”

The incident in Paris came hours after a van ploughed into a Mosque in London, killing one person and injuring 10.

Paris has been on high security since being hit by a wave of deadly attacks.

Last November, ISIS claimed responsibility for killing 129 people across the French capital.

And in April, a policeman was shot dead while two others were wounded in an attack just days before the presidential election in Champs-Elysees.