Police 'arrest lonewolf gunman' in Paris after reports of shots fired
PARIS was plunged into fresh chaos today after reports of shots being fired by a gunman in the centre of the city.
Paris has been on high alert since the November 13 attacks
Police have cordoned off streets in the French capital amid fears of a repeat of the Paris massacre last November which left 130 dead.
The shots were reportedly fired near the corner of Rue Bichat and Rue du Faubourg-du-Temple, which borders the 10th and 11th arrondissements.
According to reports, police have idenitifed the suspect as a lone gunman.
Bystander Nicolas Bozino wrote on Twitter that the public should avoid the Goncourt and Canal St Martin districts.
He said: “Shots fired…district is cordoned off “
Évitez le quartier bichat / goncourt / canal st Martin, des coups de feu "auraient" été tirés le quartier est bouclé pic.twitter.com/u98MTX6Cf8
— Nicolas Bozino (@NicoBozino) April 7, 2016
Circulation bloquée rue Bichat. Police sur-armee. Wtf? #bichat #fire #NotAgain pic.twitter.com/9u54kbj0Yf
— Elleag Draffig (@Odonata2000) April 7, 2016
Le forcené a été arrêté, pas de blessé, on va pouvoir aller déjeuner #bichat pic.twitter.com/WUyT9KWLzz
— Alexandre Billault (@alexbillault) April 7, 2016
Firefighters and armed police were deployed, with the number of casualties - if any - unconfirmed.
French journalist Guillaume Serries tweeted that there were no injuries and police had detained the man, who was now in custody.
The security cordon which closed surrounding roads has now been lifted, he said.
CCTV footage of a deliberate fire set in a mosque in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks has been released by police
Paris has been on high alert since last year's attack, when ISIS militants staged a coordinated attack on the capital that left 130 dead.
Fears of another atrocity on French soil were compounded after neighbouring Belgium was hit by a suicide bombing at Brussels Airport and Metro last month.
There is no indication that terrorism was the motive for today's incident although police will be keen to rule out any link to extremism as soon as possible to allay fears of another ISIS-inspired attack.