Police officer stabbed in Paris suburb, attacker shot dead

A police officer has been seriously injured in the Paris suburb of Vincennes, local media said. The attacker was reported dead after an exchange of gunfire in the area.

The incident took place on Friday morning when a 29-year-old man tried to attack a nurse, French Le Figaro newspaper reported.

The victim called the police and officers arrived at the scene. The man then attacked a female police officer with a knife, reportedly injuring her in the throat.

The assailant was killed on the spot by police officers. Social media users reported hearing gunfire in the area.

The motive of the attack is yet to be established.

Paris prosecutor François Molins told Le Monde newspaper on Friday that France may be rocked by more attacks.

“The weakening of the Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] in Iraq and Syria is a factor that increases the risk of attacks,” he said.

Since January 2015, France has been on high alert following a series of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL)-linked attacks.

The biggest loss of life took place in November 2015, when at least 130 people were killed in Paris. A tragedy in Nice on July 14 of this year killed at least 84 people when a truck driven by an IS sympathizer plowed through crowds during Bastille Day celebrations.

In July, France was shaken by the murder of 85-year-old Father Jacques Hamel in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, northern France, by two purported IS militants.

READ MORE: Officer stabbed at police station in Toulouse, France

On Tuesday of this week a young police officer was injured after a man attacked him with a knife at a police station in Toulouse, France.