French police ‘neutralized’ and armed man, who stabbed several people, killing one, in Villejuif park, near Paris, according to reports.

The attacker reportedly lashed out at four people at random, injuring two.

BFMTV says the attack happened around 2pm in Hautes-Bruyeres Park.

Police confirmed that an operation was underway in the area, and asked people to avoid the area.

According to some reports, police are checking if the man was carrying any explosives.

The man reportedly attacked several people before attempting to flee the scene, but he was shot by police and fatally wounded. It’s not clear what his motives were, or if he had any accomplices.

Two of the injured were stabbed in the park and the two others nearby, apparently as the attacker headed towards the park, packed with families, a police source said. People ran away from the park in panic as the stabbings were taking place or immediately afterwards, witnesses reported.

Secretary General of the SGP-FO Police Unit Yves Lefebvre said the officers “reacted in self-defense”.

Loïc Travers, a police union spokesman said: “No one can be sure at this stage whether this was a terrorist act.”

The case is currently still being handled as criminal, and has not been handed over to anti-terror prosecutors.