The attacker in Marseille also had a gun, and fired on responding police officers.
ADVERTISEMENTPolice in the south of France shot and killed a man Tuesday, shortly after he stabbed at least two people and pulled a gun on responding officers, authorities said.
The knife attack happened in the center of Marseille at 4:30 p.m. local time (10:30 a.m. ET), French national police told NBC News. The victims' conditions were not known.
After the man stabbed at least two pedestrians, officers approached him and he dropped the knife, officials said. But then the attacker pulled a handgun and shot at officers, who returned fire, fatally wounding him, authorities said.
The officers were not hurt.
The attacker was 36 and had a record for petty crime, local police said. But he was not on the radar of national police, authorities said.