Three people have been killed and around a dozen others injured in a suspected terror attack in Trebes in the south of France after a gunman claiming allegiance to Isis took hostages in a supermarket.

The attacker, 26-year-old Redouane Lakdim, who was known to authorities for petty crimes, struck at the Super U shop in Trèbes, near Toulouse, on Friday morning, killing one person by shooting them in the head before taking others hostage.

Earlier, a policeman was shot and wounded while jogging with colleagues in Carcassonne, a 15-minute drive away, by the same suspect, the secretary-general of the SGP Police-FO union told the Associated Press.

Special police units were sent to the scene and local authorities blocked roads and urged residents to stay away.​ Officers later stormed the supermarket and killed the attacker.

A supermarket customer who was in the shop at the time told France Info: “A man cried and fired a lot of gunshots. I saw a fridge door, I told people to come find shelter.

“There were 10 of us and we stayed there for one hour. There were more gunshots and we left by the back exit. He shouted Allah something, I didn’t see him.”

Lakdim, reported to be of Moroccan descent, was known to authorities for petty crimes and drug offences but was not considered an Islamist threat, Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said following the attack, adding that he acted alone.

Reports suggest he asked for the release of Salah Abdeslam, the man accused of playing a role in the Paris attack who is on trial in Belgium at the moment, during the hostage.

The injured police officer, named only as CRS 57, was shot in the lung 3cm from his heart, according to the local police union, who said he was in a “steady state”.

Mr Collomb praised the “heroism” of the officer, saying he offered himself up as a hostage swap during the attack, and managed to leave his cellphone switched, establishing a contact with officers outside the supermarket in the hours-long standoff.

The Interior Minister said elite French forces stormed the market and killed the gunman after hearing gunshots inside. He did not say how or when the police officer was injured.

Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting Show all 14 1 /14 Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting Rescue forces and police officers at a supermarket after a hostage situation in Trebes, Reuters Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting Forensic police investigate after the gendarme's assault on the Super U supermarket. EPA Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting Police are seen at the scene of a hostage situation in a supermarket in Trebes. Reuters Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting A view of the Super U supermarket where a gunman reportedly claimed allegiance to the Islamic State and is holding hostages. EPA Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting Emmanuel Macron is informed by his security advisor about the hostage situation in Trebes during the joint press conference with Angela Merkel at the summit of European Union leaders. AFP/Getty Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting A gendarmerie helicopter flies over the Super U supermarket. EPA Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting French gendarmes and police establish a security perimeter around the Super U supermarket. EPA Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting Police officers secure evidence. EPA Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting French gendarmes block the access to Trebes. AFP/Getty Images Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting Police attend the incident in Trebes. La Depeche Du Midi via AP Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting French police and firefighters secure the entrance of Trebes. AP Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting A genera; view of The Super U shop in Trèbes, southern France, where hostages were reportedly taken by a gunman claiming allegiance to Isis. Google Street View Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting Police block a road near the scene. Reuters Trebes siege: France supermarket shooting French gendarmes block the access to Trebes. AFP/Getty

AFP reported the gunman had claimed allegiance to Isis and French prime minister Edouard Philippe said "all information suggests it is a terror attack".

Isis has said it carried out the attack but gave no evidence for its claim.

France has been on high alert since a string of Islamic extremist attacks in 2015 and 2016 that killed more than 200 people.