Three people have been killed and four others injured after a gunman opened fire in Paris.

A man aged 69 has been arrested in connection with the shooting at a local Kurdish cultural centre, the prosecutor’s department in the French capital said.

He is known to French authorities and had attacked a migrant camp a year ago, BFM TV reported.

The motive for Friday’s shooting was not immediately clear.

The Paris prosecutor said it would examine a “possible racist element” behind the attack.

“A gun attack has taken place. Thank you to the security forces for their swift action,” Emmanuel Gregoire, the deputy mayor, tweeted.

“Thoughts for the victims and those who witnessed this drama.”

Two of the four people who were hurt are in critical condition, the prosecutor’s office said.

Paris police said they were dealing with an incident on the Rue d’Enghien before urging the public to avoid the area, and officers taped off the area in the 10th arrondissement.

Antiterrorism prosecutors said they are investigating the shooting but have not indicated any sign of a terrorist motive.

One witness told French news agency AFP that seven or eight shots had been fired, sparking chaos in the street.

Shortly after the incident, Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister, said he would travel to Paris and visit the scene of the “dramatic” shooting, and also confirmed the suspect had been arrested by police.

The mayor of Paris said an investigation into the motives of the gunman continues.

France endured a series of deadly attacks by Islamic extremists in 2015 and 2016 and remains on alert for terror-related violence.

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