Two people were killed and one seriously wounded in a knife attack in the Paris suburb of Trappes, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of the French capital on Thursday morning.

The 36-year-old attacker had been on a terror watch list since 2016, and is believed to have had serious mental health problems.

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, who visited the scene on Thursday, rejected the claim by "Islamic State" (IS) that it was an attack by one of its fighters.

Collomb told reporters that the attacker was "mentally unstable, rather than someone who was committed, who would respond to orders from a terrorist organization, in particular Daesh," using another name for IS.

"He walked towards the police with his knife," Collomb said. "Police then opened fire."

Troubled history

High-rise apartment blocks in Trappes remained sealed off by police on Thursday afternoon. Regular criminal prosecutors are in charge of the case, rather than anti-terror specialists. Checks on the killer's phone and computer were being made.

Trappes is about 10 kilometers west of the Palace of Versailles, but the suburb is known for social issues connected to poverty, drugs and hard-line interpretations of Islam. About 50 people from the suburb are believed to have left France to fight for IS in Syria and Iraq.

The attacker is believed to have been separated from his wife and children and may have had alcohol and drug problems. He is reported to have been living with his mother. He had been on a terror watch list since 2016 after he expressed extremist views.

ap,jm /msh (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)

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