SEVEN people including two British tourists were wounded in Paris after they were attacked by a man armed with a knife and an iron bar, according to police and other sources.

A source close to the inquiry said the suspect has been arrested and is believed to be an Afghan national.

“Nothing at this stage shows signs of a terrorist nature in these assaults,” the sources said, adding that the attacker had targeted “strangers in the street”.

Of the seven wounded, four are in a critical condition, police said. One of the British tourists was stabbed in the head, while the other was “cut in the chest”, reports suggested.

The incident took place just after 11pm on the banks of a canal in the northeast of the capital.

A security guard at one of two cinemas on either side of the Canal de l’Ourcq said he saw a man who had already assaulted people being chased by two other men who tried to stop him.

“He had an iron bar in his hand which he threw at the men chasing him, then he took out a knife,” he told AFP.

A police investigation has been launched for attempted murder, according to a judicial

There were conflicting reports about the offender’s nationality, with Le Parisien saying he was of Afghan decent, while a local TV report suggested the man was from Pakistan.

Le Parisien says that three people were stabbed at MK2 Cinema, and the others were attacked nearby.

A witness hurled a boule at the offender to stop the random attack, French TV station BFM reported.

Those injured are being treated in hospital, Le Parisien says.

“A source close to the investigation indicates that there is no evidence that this is a terrorist attack,” the newspaper reported.