PARIS: A man opened fire from a vehicle on Friday (Oct 23) in the streets of the town of Trappes, west of Paris, killing one person and wounding four, a police source said.

The man was arrested in the nearby town of Coignieres after opening fire in Trappes and neighbouring La Verriere around 10.30am (4.30pm, Singapore time), police said.

Local authorities said the toll could change as emergency services were still working at the scene, about 20km west of the French capital.

"An individual fired shots from his vehicle at multiple people along his path, in Trappes and La Verriere," Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh wrote on Instagram.

Writing on X, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the case was "very serious" and said "all resources of the security forces and the judiciary are fully mobilised".

The shooting comes as France is on edge following riots on the sidelines of mass protests over the cost-of-living last weekend, which saw some of the worst street violence the country has seen in recent years.

More protests are expected this weekend, with police promising a larger presence, after a week of overnight curfews put in place in cities throughout the country.

French prosecutors are investigating the shooting as a suspected "terrorist" attack, national anti-terror prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said they have opened an investigation as a "murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise".