A car deliberately hit a police van before bursting into flames on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in central Paris, police officials say.

The driver, who was on a security watchlist, died in the incident. Police found a Kalashnikov rifle, handguns and gas bottles in the car.

"Security forces have been targeted in France once again," Interior Minister Gérard Collomb said, calling it an "attempted attack".

No-one else was hurt in the incident.

France is under a state of emergency after being hit by a wave of deadly terrorist attacks in recent years.

Sniffer dogs
A white car could be seen standing in the middle of the empty avenue with one door open and sniffer dogs were sent in, the BBC's Hugh Schofield reports from Paris.

Our correspondent says there are always many police and gendarme vehicles near the spot, as it is next to the local police station.




A bomb disposal unit is checking the vehicle


Traffic caused by the security cordon is seen backed up the avenue

Bomb disposal experts were sent to the scene to inspect the vehicle, a Renault Mégane.

Mr Collomb, who visited the site, said weapons and explosives found inside "could potentially blow this car up".

Reports say officers had to smash the car windows to pull the driver out.

Sources close to the investigation said the driver of the car had been on a security watchlist since 2015 for membership of a "radical Islamist movement".

Police were reported to be searching the man's home in the Essonne area south of Paris.

Police earlier warned people to respect a security cordon around the area.

The anti-terrorist section of the prosecutor's office has opened up an investigation into the incident, which happened close to the Élysée Palace, the president's official residence, and the US embassy.

 

Sounds like just another day in Europe.

 

For those planning their next trip to the land of perpetual tolerance...

 

Death is just part of life.

 

it's become so common place that it doesn't even phase me anymore.

 

I believe this attack in France was yesterday. Today's attack was in Belgium.

So many candlelight vigils to attend. My calendar is quite full.

 

Well fuck me Hanna. We would like to visit Italy next Spring and now all this unrest and terror attacks. Can't they just put it on hold until we get back or something......

 

I hope I never become desensitized to things like this and they were lucky this time that only the attacker was killed but come on, enough already.

 

Explosion at Brussels train station considered terrorist attack: Belgian federal prosecutor

An explosion at a train station in Brussels, Belgium, today, that prompted the station to be evacuated but left no victims injured, is considered a terrorist attack, according to the Belgian federal prosecutor's office.

One suspect was shot by the military after the explosion at Brussels Central Station, a senior Belgian law enforcement official told ABC News. A spokesman for the Belgian federal police said the suspected attacker is dead.

No one else was injured in the explosion, which occurred around 8:30 p.m. local time, Van Der Sypt added. Police said the situation is "under control."



Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP
Belgian police evacuate people near the Grand Place near Central Station in Brussels after a reported explosion on Tuesday, June 20, 2017.




Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images
Soldiers and police officials guide members of the public on a street outside Gare Centrale in Brussels on June 20, 2017, after an explosion in the Belgian capital.more +


Belgian Federal Prosecutor Eric Van Der Sypt said the identity of the suspect is not known.

Belgian officials told ABC News that authorities are investigating whether the suspect had an explosive device or devices, potentially a suicide vest or a bag or suitcase.

When asked if there were other suspects, Van Der Sypt said he would not comment.

One eyewitness told Belgian TV that he heard screaming and saw flames.

Eyewitness Arash Aazami told ABC News he heard two explosions and gunfire. He was sheltering inside a restaurant as he told ABC News there was a heavy presence of military, ambulances and police.



Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP
Belgian Army soldiers and police patrol outside Central Station after a reported explosion in Brussels on June 20, 2017.




Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP
Belgian Army soldiers patrol outside Central Station after a reported explosion in Brussels on Tuesday, June 20, 2017.

The nature of the device was not immediately clear but the bomb squad was called in for fear of additional explosives in the area.

Another eyewitness, Remy Bonnaffe, told ABC News he heard two loud detonations.

A third eyewitness said he had been evacuated from the station, but that the situation now seems under control and police were allowing people to walk freely in the street again.

Service was stopped at all three of Brussels' main train stations, officials said.

Belgium's Threat Assessment Coordination Body said the threat level remains at 3 and there is no indication of other incidents, the Belgium Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

 

*