Police and other emergency services are at the scene, which is close to where the Charlie Hebdo attack happened in January
At least eighteen people are dead tonight after a series of shootings and explosions in Paris, police have said.
A Kalashnikov-wielding gunman is thought to have gone on the rampage in the French capital.
Dozens more are expected to have been injured after gunfire was heard inside a restaurant close to Rue Bichat, in the 10th arrondissement of the city soon after 9pm.
Shouting and screaming also rang out as the shooting began.
Several minutes later more shots were fired at live music Bataclan near Place de la Republique which is a short walk away.
As anti-terrorist police flooded the area, an officer on the scene warned "the gunman is suspected to be still on the loose. People should leave the area."
One man on Twitter said his friend escaped Bataclan where five or six unmasked shooters fired for about five minutes.
It is reported one of the shooters mentioned Syria as they unleashed rounds on innocents.
Police and other emergency services are at the scene, which is close to where the Charlie Hebdo attack happened in January.
Early social media reports around 11 or 12 shots were fired. It is not yet clear how many are dead but early reports suggest 'several' have been killed.
It has also been reported on that French president Francois Holland has been evacuated from Stade de France in Saint-Denis, in the suburbs of Paris, following several explosions near the stadium.
The President was there watching a football between France and Germany when three explosions took place almost at exactly the same moment as the shootings, according to Liberation.
It is not yet known whether the two incidents are linked but it is being suggested in media outlets that it was some sort of co-ordinated attack.
One terrified restaurant worker said: "We thought it was fireworks.
"We stayed inside, we waited for police to come and let us out."
The French capital has been on a high state of alert ever since the Charlie Hebdo massacre with security services warning that another attack was always likely.
The attack on the satirical magazine left 13 people dead, as two Paris-born terrorists slaughtered cartoonists and other members of staff before escaping in a stolen car.
Four Jewish shoppers were also murdered in the same set of attacks inside a Kosher supermarket in nearby Vincennes.
Four Jewish shoppers were also murdered in the same set of attacks inside a Kosher supermarket in nearby Vincennes.
In September suspcted gunman Ayoub el-Khazzani was knocked unconscious by hero passengers on a high-speed French train after opening fire.
He was bundled to the floor and then pummelled by brave US nationals Spencer Stone and Alek Skarlatos.
He appeared in court in Paris with his eyes bandaged and in bare feet in September.
Paris journalist Stefan de Vries reported the latest shootings saying: "Paris Shootout Several people killed, several wounded. Area around Place de la République being evacuated."
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