A man who attempted to stab a police officer during a ceremony near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris has died in hospital after being shot by officers.
The attacker, identified as Brahim B., 48, was shot beneath the Arc de Triomphe while officers were securing a ceremony to relight the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Police said the man was armed with a kitchen knife and a pair of scissors and attempted to stab an officer. A second officer opened fire, hitting him several times. He was taken to hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
No members of the public or police officers were injured.
The ceremony, held daily in the early evening, commemorates fallen French soldiers and has taken place regularly since 1923.
Investigators said Brahim B. was a French national born in Mantes-la-Jolie in 1978 and had previously been convicted of violent offences. In 2012, he stabbed three police officers in Brussels and was later sentenced to 17 years in prison for terrorism-related attempted murder.
He was released from custody in December and had been subject to monitoring measures. Sources said he had been flagged as radicalised and potentially dangerous and was required to report regularly to police.
Earlier on the day of the attack, officers in Aulnay-sous-Bois, where he lived, reportedly received a phone call from him making threats against security forces. His mobile phone was later traced near the Arc de Triomphe.
Following the incident, France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into attempted assassination of a public official in connection with terrorism and participation in a terrorist criminal association.
The Paris Police Prefecture said the area was secured quickly and that specialist officers were deployed.
France’s Interior Minister, Laurent Nuñez, said the attacker had targeted members of the security forces preparing for the ceremony.
Security remains high around major landmarks in Paris amid continued concerns about lone-actor attacks.
Authorities said further information would be released as enquiries continue.