Attacker shot outside Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris

Police in Paris have shot a man who attempted to attack an officer outside Notre-Dame cathedral.

Authorities, who are investigating the incident as a potential terror attack, asked members of the public to stay away from the area during ongoing operations.

The man attacked an officer with a hammer before one of his colleagues opened fire and "neutralised" him, officials said.

A spokesperson for Paris` prefecture of police said the officer was wounded and the assailant was taken to hospital.

Kellyn Potvin-Gorman told the BBC she was having her bag checked at security checkpoints at the cathedral`s entrance when she heard gunfire.

“I turned around and saw the assailant on the ground where they had shot him,” she added.

“There were tons of people running in all directions, and we were brought inside at that time.”

Speaking from inside Notre-Dame, Ms Potvin-Gorman said the attacker was “taken down immediately”, adding: “He had no chance whatsover...he was face down on the pavement.”

Hundreds tourists and passers-by were locked inside the famous cathedral as the operation continued.

They were gradually released after around an hour, following "routine" checks.

Officers cordoned off a large part of the Île de la Cité as a precaution for searches for potential accomplices or suspect devices.

The counter-terrorism unit of the Paris prosecutor`s office has opened an investigation into the incident.

It came months after a man shouting "Allahu akbar" was shot as he tried to kill a French soldier with a machete outside Le Louvre.

France remains under a state of emergency that has been repeatedly extended in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo massacre, Paris attacks, Nice attack and series of murders by Isis supporters.

The atrocities have killed around 240 people in France since the start of 2015.

Isis has also claimed responsibility for the London Bridge attack on Saturday night, where three men rammed a van into pedestrians before stabbing passers-by at pubs and bars.

The group has called for supporters around the world to carry out intensified terror attacks during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, as it seeks to maintain momentum while losing territory in Syria and Iraq.