French police on Friday shot and killed a man who threatened officers in Paris's bustling La Defense business district. The man was shot in the chest and a leg, police sources said. He had failed to injure anyone, they said, without specifying the weapon he was wielding, excepting that it was not a firearm.

The man approached the officers at around 10:20 am (0920 GMT), who responded by firing at least five shots.

A security cordon was erected after the shooting, and the man's identity has not been disclosed. France has witnessed several assaults on its security forces in recent years, when it has been on high alert over a wave of jihadist attacks that have killed 255 people since 2015.

In October, administrative agent Mickael Harpon stabbed and killed four colleagues at the Paris police headquarters before he was shot dead. He was said to be a follower of radical Muslim beliefs.