PARIS (Reuters) - French police detained a suspect after an American woman was stabbed to death on Thursday in an eastern suburb of Paris, a police source said.

The source gave no details of the incident which took place in Montreuil and did not identify the victim beyond saying that an American passport was found on her.

Le Figaro newspaper said on its website that the woman was a tourist aged about 50. It said the attacker was a homeless person who objected to her taking photos of graffiti on walls in the area.

The police source could not confirm whether the attacker was a homeless person, saying the investigation would determine the exact circumstances.