BREAKING NEWS: New terror in Paris as gunman is arrested after male and female police officers are seriously wounded by 'North African wielding assault rifle and wearing bullet-proof vest'

A gunman was arrested in a Paris suburb today after two police officers were seriously wounded in an attack.

It follows the massacre which claimed 12 lives including those of two police at the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices on Wednesday.

Today shots rang out in Montrouge, in the south of city, at the start of the morning rush hour, with an M5 assault rifle believed to have been used.

Witnesses saw what appeared to a collision between two cars, followed by two men appearing with the weapon.

William Thomas, a 19-year-old who lives close to this morning's attack, said: 'I was woken up by the first three shots.

'Then I heard someone shout "Take That" and there were another two shots. It was before 8am.'

The automatic gunfire was followed by the arrival of numerous special operations police, accompanied by emergency services.

A man who appeared to be of North African origin was seen running away from the scene. He was thought to be wearing a bullet proof vest.

The second suspect drove away in white Renault Clio. One of the men was arrested, said a local police spokesman. He was described as a 53-year-old.

Those wounded were a woman traffic officer from Montrouge, and a male colleague.

'Emergency workers tried to revive the woman officer at the scene but she was in a very bad way,' said another officer at the scene.

Both wounded officers were described by a police source as being in a 'very serious condition'.

It is unclear of the incident is related to the Charlie Hebdo massacre, which traumatised France.