Blast Hits Restaurant Near Mosque In France's East - Reports; Shooting Heard On The Outskirts Of Paris, 1 Officer Severely Injured - Reports

An explosion has been reported in a restaurant near a mosque in Villefranche-sur-Saone, eastern France. There are no reports of any injuries and the cause of the blast remains unknown.

The blast reportedly occurred around 6 am local time, according to the local newspaper Le Progress. The window of a nearby fast food restaurant was shattered by the explosion.

Police have cordoned off the area, and firefighters were dispatched to the scene. 

"I am afraid that is linked to the dramatic event that occurred on Wednesday," the mayor of Villefranche Perrut Bernard, who was at the scene of the blast, told the French daily.

On Wednesday, 10 journalists and two policemen were killed after gunmen opened fire on the Paris office of the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

Police have launched a manhunt for three suspects, identified as Said Kouachi, 34, Cherif Kouachi, 32, and Hamyd Mourad, 18.

The youngest suspect, Mourad, reportedly handed himself in at a police station in Charleville Mezieres after seeing his name on the list of shooting suspects on social media.

Thousands of people across the world have reacted to the shooting, which is believed to have been carried out in retaliation to the controversial cartoons by Charlie Hebdo, targeting religion and particularly the Muslim Prophet Muhammad.

Rescue service workers and firefighters evacuate an injured person on a stretcher near the site of a shooting on the morning of January 8, 2015 in Montrouge, south of Paris. (AFP Photo/Thomas Samson)

Meanwhile, earlier, one police officer has been severely injured in the shooting near La porte de Chatillon, on the outskirts of Paris, French media report. The incident follows police raids after the attack on the satirical Charlie Hebdo newspaper in Paris.

The attack, which happened on Wednesday in the French capital, killed 10 journalists and two policemen. Eleven more people were wounded and four of them are in a serious condition.

One man has opened fire at two police officers, injuring one seriously, reported French Radio RTL. The shooter was reportedly arrested.

Screenshot from Google Maps

The incident happened at about 8:19am local time when two police officers attempted to intervene in an ordinary road accident, RTL also reported.

A man suddenly opened fire on the officers. His motives are as yet unknown.