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Four police officers, three women and one men, have died after the knife attack at the Police Prefecture this afternoon, according to a French police union official. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo confirmed that "several people" were fatally wounded. The attacker was stopped by another police officer at the headquarters and he was shot dead. The French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the attacker was a 45-year-old man who had been employed by the police working in admin since 2003.

Loic Travers, local head of the Alliance police union, said on BFM TV: "As we speak, one colleague is dead following a knife attack. Another colleague is in a state of shock (...) and the

person behind the attack has been shot by another colleague." Union official Yves Lefebvre said the attack happened around 1pm at the headquarters located just across the street from Notre Dame Cathedral. Mr Lefebvre told BFM television that one of the officers was gravely injured. It was not immediately clear how far inside the building the attacker got before police shot him.

A man attacked police officers in Paris

The man behind a knife attack on police officers at the Paris police headquarters is believed to be a member of staff at the headquarters, a police union source and a police source told Reuters. The stabbing is not being regarded as a terrorist attack, according to AFP. The Metro station near the scene of the attack has been closed for security reasons, the RATP public transport authority said on Twitter. French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner also attended the scene, French channel BFM TV reported. France’s former interior minister Gerard Collomb expressed his condolences on Twitter, he said: “I’ve learned with emotion the tragedy that occurred at the beginning of the afternoon at the police headquarters of Paris.

At least four police officers have died after the attack

'All my thoughts are of course with the families of the victims. “I also want to express my support to all the staff, whose emotions I can’t even imagine at this moment." The area around the Paris Police HQ has been sealed off. A spokesman for Paris police said he had no comment on the attack. The metro station "Cité" on line 4 is closed. The attack came a day after thousands of officers marched in Paris to protest against low wages, long hours and increasing suicides in their ranks.

The motive for the attack is not yet known

Pictures show emergency services attending the scene. President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Édouard Philippe attended the scene this afternoon. The Elysee Palace said in a statement: ”The President of the Republic went to the police station to show his support and solidarity to all the staff.” Union official Loic Travers said the attack appears to have begun in an office and continued elsewhere inside the large compound across the street from Notre Dame Cathedral. Mr Travers said the motive is unknown but the employee allegedly responsible for the violence apparently never posed any problems before.

He said he cannot remember an attack on police officers of this magnitude.

Emergency services are at the scene

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