At least 3 dead after gunshots fired in central Paris

A shooter killed three people and wounded four others in a gun attack near a Kurdish cultural centre in Paris on Friday, the prosecutor's office said.

Multiple gunshots were fired in the Rue d'Enghien, a street lined with small shops and cafes in the capital's 10th arrondissement, sowing panic.

Armed police guarded a security cordon and several ambulances were at the scene, live television images showed.

"A gun attack has taken place. Thank you to the security forces for their swift action," tweeted deputy Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire. "Thoughts for the victims and those who witnessed this drama."

An investigation into murder, manslaughter and aggravated violence has been opened, the Paris prosecutor's office said.

A 69-year-old man had been arrested and was in detention, the prosecutor's office added. The incident was over, it said.

Police did not indicate the motives of the alleged shooter.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that the suspected attacker was known to authorities and added that they would examine any possible racist element behind the shooting.

One witness told French news agency AFP that seven or eight shots had been fired. A second witness, speaking to BFM TV, said the suspected gunman was a white man who opened fire in silence.