Three people were wounded during a savage knife attack at one of the biggest railway stations in Paris today.

A man thought to be an Italian appeared to slash people at random at the Gare de Lyon, in the east of the French capital, at around 8am.

The attacker has now been arrested and was described as a 32-year-old man, born in Mali, who ‘presented Italian identity papers,’ said an investigating source. 

‘One person was seriously hurt, and two lightly wounded,’ said a police spokesman. ‘Officers arrived on the scene within minutes and the man was arrested.

‘He was found to have an Italian driving licence on him, and did not offer any motive for his actions. There were no slogans shouted.’

Soldiers patrol inside the Gare de Lyon station after a knife attack at the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris

French soldiers watch over passengers inside the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris following a savage knife attack 

French forensic and judicial police attend the crime scene after a knife attack at Paris’s Gare de Lyon railway station

The most seriously injured person was in a ‘life threatening situation and in intensive care,’ said an emergency services spokesman.

Gare de Lyon, the second busiest station in France, which handles up to 150million passengers a year, was packed on a Saturday morning.

It was immediately evacuated after the attack, with all services cancelled.

Officers said there was no early indication as to the motive of the stabbing, but it follows a series of bomb, gun and knife attacks carried out by Islamic State and al-Qaeda operatives in France, dating back to early 2015.

The deadliest single terrorist attack ever in the country came in November 2015 when 130 people were killed in Paris.

Suicide bombers pledging allegiance to ISIS targeted the Stade de France, cafes, restaurants and the Bataclan music venue, where 90 died.

Earlier in the year, two Paris-born gunmen linked to Al-Qaeda broke into the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine, leaving 17 people dead inside and three outside.

A French soldier of the Sentinelle security operation stands guard in a hall after a knife attack at Paris’s Gare de Lyon railway statio

A French soldier of the Sentinelle security operation stands guard in front of a security perimeter after the savage balde attack

A French soldier of the Sentinelle security operation stands guard at Paris’s Gare de Lyon railway station, which was immediately evacuated after the attack

French soldiers secure the area after a man with a knife wounded several people at the Gare de Lyon rail station in Paris

A general view outside of the Gare de Lyon railway station in Paris

In July 2016, 86 people were called and more than 400 injured when a 19 tonne truck was deliberately driven into crowds on the seafront promenade at Nice, which is just 20 miles from Cannes.

The terrorist turned out to be a Tunisian immigrant who was shot dead by police.

During the same month, two Isis terrorists murdered an 86-year-old Catholic priest during a church service in Normandy.

And in October 2020, three people were stabbed to death by a Tunisian immigrant in the Notre Dame basilica in Nice.

There have also been frequent knife attacks on the forces of law and order, leading to the deaths of serving police.