French police shot dead a Tunisian migrant after he allegedly stabbed five people in the centre of Marseille.
The city's public prosecutor Nicolas Bessonne said the suspect was equipped with two knives and an iron bar - and “without provocation” began to stab people at random.
One of the victims has been left hospitalised in a critical condition following Tuesday afternoon's attack.
Mr Bessonne said the suspect barged into a hotel in the first arrondissement of Marseille - from where he had recently been evicted - and stabbed his one of his roommates, who was later rushed to hospital.
The Tunisian national continued his frenzy at the Istanbul City snack bar close to the hotel
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The knifeman proceeded to move downstairs to the lobby, where he stabbed a hotel manager before he made his way outside and attacked the manager's son.
The public prosecutor confirmed the pair were taken to hospital to be treated, but did not sustain life-threatening injuries.
The Tunisian national continued his frenzy at the Istanbul City snack bar close to the hotel, where he attempted to stab the manager "and probably other people”, Mr Bessonne added.
After being chased off by customers, the attacker carried on the rampage in nearby Cours Belsunce, where he tried to attack several people at random, with two individuals left with facial wounds.
After police officers on patrol attempted to neutralise the suspect, the attacker began to recite verses from the Koran before rushing them, Le Figaro reported.
The officers then shot him - before he died from his wounds at 3.25pm.
Local media reports indicate the suspect was under strict supervision by the authorities and banned for carrying weapons.
However, no motive behind the attack has been established so far, an interior ministry source told The Telegraph.
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Marseille public prosecutor Nicolas Bessonne said the suspect was equipped with two knives and an iron bar
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The source added: “We must remain cautious over whether this is terror-related."
The violent frenzy occurred near a known drug-trafficking area, according to a police source.
Further eyewitness accounts say that the man was brandishing “two large butcher knives and an iron bar”.
Judicial police have confirmed that they have opened an investigation for attempted murder.
Marseille has a long-standing reputation as the most dangerous city in France.
The port city on the country's south coast has battled organised crime and drug-related violence for decades.
Last year, a taxi driver was murdererd by a 14-year-old boy in a revenge killing after being paid €2,000 (£1,676) by one of the city's most feared gangs, DZ Mafia.
Following the murder, Mr Bessonne warned that gangs were recruiting young teenagers to carry out killings "without any remorse or reflection".
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