Officials in Paris are investigating a possible terrorist incident in the city this afternoon, after shooting down a knife-wielding man who attempted to enter a police station.

One year to the day after 17 people were killed in the Charlie Hebdo attacks, the individual – believed to have been wearing a fake suicide vest – made an apparent attack on the station at Barbes in northern Paris.

Interior ministry in the French capital say the man was shouting "Allahu Akbar" and was waving a knife, in the attempt of creating "the impression of an attack."

According to one eyewitness speaking to French officials, the man was shot three times by a policeman armed with a revolver.

At first, bomb squad officers used a robot to inspect the man's dead body, to avoid casualties from possible explosive devices.

Just moments before the incident, French president Francois Hollande gave a speech in honour of the one-year Charlie Hebdo anniversary, praising the three policemen killed in ast January's attacks for their "sacrifice" in keeping people safe.