Three people have been wounded in a knife attack at a major train station in Paris, police say.

One person suffered serious stomach wounds during the stabbings at the Gare de Lyon on Saturday morning.

A suspect is in custody. Police say he is a Malian national who presented an Italian driving licence to officers.

There have been several knife attacks in Paris in the recent past. In December oa tourist was killed and two others wounded near the Eiffel Tower.

In January last year, six people were injured after a stabbing at the capitals Gare du Nord.

Police say the suspect in Saturdays attack set fire to his rucksack, before attacking people with a knife and a hammer. He was tackled by transport security officers and bystanders.

Officials quoted by Le Parisien newspaper describe the alleged attacker as a 32-year-old asylum-seeker who has been legally living in Italy since 2016.(BBC)

French soldiers secure the area after a man with a knife wounded several people at the Gare de Lyon rail station in Paris