Three people have been injured in an attack at the Gare de Lyon railway station in Paris.

Paris’ police chief said the attack in the French capital does not appear to be terror-related.

While cautioning that the police investigation is in its early stages, Laurent Nunez said there is no immediate evidence pointing towards terrorism.

He said the suspected assailant appears to suffer from mental health issues.

One of the victims has been seriously injured.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said a security guard tackled the attacker who was taken into police custody.

The prosecutor’s office said a knife and a hammer appear to have been used in the attack at 7.35am. Investigators are analysing the weapons and the injured are being treated in hospital, the prosecutor’s office said.

The police investigation was looking at a potential preliminary charge of attempted murder.

Posting on social media, interior minister Gerald Darmanin described the attack as an “unbearable act” and thanked those who detained the assailant.

Security in Paris is being ramped up as it prepares to welcome 10,500 Olympians and millions of visitors for the first Olympic Games in a century in the French capital.

The Games will begin with a massive open-air ceremony along the River Seine on July 26, a major security challenge in the city that has been repeatedly hit by terror attacks, most notably in 2015.

Most recently, a man targeted passers-by near the Eiffel Tower in December, killing a German tourist with a knife and injuring two others.

The Gare de Lyon is one of the busiest railway stations in Paris. It is a hub for high-speed trains that link the capital to other cities and for commuter trains that serve the suburbs and towns in the Paris region.