A police operation was underway in the La Défense business district of the French capital, Paris. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on Twitter on Saturday, according to Portal. Paris police said “an incident” had triggered a wave of panic among people in the area. A Paris police spokesman dismissed reports that shots were fired.
The Paris Police Department previously issued a tweet advising the public to avoid the area. She did not elaborate.
According to the online edition of the newspaper Le Figaro, there was a mass run at the “Westfield Les 4 Temps” shopping center in La Défense after a possible suicide. Some passers-by thought they heard a gunshot, causing panic, which circulated on social media.