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Six people have been injured with one in a critical condition after a stabbing at Paris's international Gare du Nord station early on Wednesday.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said a man was stopped by two off-duty police officers who were returning home from a shift.

He said the suspected attacker was shot three times and taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Authorities are trying to establish if there was a motive for the attack.

The attack took place at 06:42 (05:42 GMT) - within one minute all six people were injured and the attacker was stopped.

Mr Darmanin thanked for police for their "brave and effective" intervention, which he said saved many lives.

He added that among the injured was one French border police officer.

Police are yet to name the man, who did not have identity documents on him at the time he was taken to hospital.

Mr Darmanin told reporters the man attacked people in the station with what looked like a home-made weapon.

Police earlier said the man used a knife or blade.

Criminal investigators have taken control of the case for now, rather than anti-terror police, Mr Darmanin said.

The incident caused major delays to trains at the station in the early morning rush, with police cordoning off the station and setting up large white curtains around the attack scene.

Paris Gare du Nord is one of the busiest international railway stations in Europe - with about 700,000 travellers a day.