A man suspected of stabbing several people on Tuesday afternoon in downtown Marseille, in southeastern France, was shot dead by police, according to a police source.
The attacker reportedly stabbed at least four people near a shop close to the Vieux-Port, an area known for drug trafficking, before police quickly intervened, another police source said.
The exact condition of the victims is not yet known.
A local resident who witnessed the incident told AFP journalists at the scene that police arrived “very quickly.”
“They tried to stop him in front of a fast-food restaurant, and the man tried to attack an officer with a knife. The officer shouted ‘Stop! Stop!’,” the witness said.
Another eyewitness described seeing a man armed with “two large butcher knives.” According to a source close to the investigation, the incident appeared to be “a fight that broke out after leaving a kebab restaurant.”
The area was cordoned off by 4 p.m. local time (18:00 GMT), and two tram lines were partially suspended, according to Marseille’s public transport authority.
In front of the fast-food restaurant, a forensic police tent was set up, and black tarps were placed over the terrace.
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