One person was killed in Paris late on Saturday in a knife attack claimed by the ISIS terrorist group. The knifeman was shot dead by police in central Paris after he killed one person and injured four others, sparking a terror probe and panic on the streets of Frances capital. The attack took place near the citys main opera house in an area full of bars, restaurants and theaters which were brimming on a weekend night. Witnesses described scenes of panic as Parisians realized another potential terror attack was underway in a country already reeling from a string of extremist assaults in the last three years that have killed more than 245 people. President Emmanuel Macron said France "once again pays the price of blood", but assured the country would yield "not an inch to the enemies of freedom". "I salute on behalf of all French people the courage of the police officers who neutralized the terrorist," he added on Twitter. ISIS’ Aamaq news agency said in a statement early Sunday that the assailant carried out the attack in response to the groups calls for supporters to target members of the US-led military coalition squeezing the extremists out of Iraq and Syria. The Aamaq statement did not provide evidence for its claim or details on the assailants identity. A terrorist investigation has since been launched. Prosecutor Francois Molins said counter-terrorism authorities are leading the investigation on potential charges of murder and attempted murder in connection with terrorist motives. "I was taking orders and I saw a young woman trying to get into the restaurant in panic," Jonathan, a waiter at a Korean restaurant, told AFP. The woman was bleeding and the attacker appeared behind her. He said a young man tried to fend off the assailant who then fled. "The attacker entered a shopping street, I saw him with a knife in his hand," he said. "He looked crazy". Milan, 19, said he saw "several people in distress" including a woman with wounds to her neck and leg. "Firemen were giving her first aid. I heard two, three shots and a policeman told me that the man had been overpowered." Two of those wounded were rushed to hospital in a serious condition but Interior Minister Gerard Collomb later told reporters all the victims were out of danger and would survive their injuries. "I have just seen the person who was most seriously injured, she is better, she is saved," he said. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said police were on the scene "within five minutes" of the attack and that some nine minutes later the assailant was dead, he added. "The speed of the response obviously avoided a heavier toll," he said. A police source told AFP one officer tried to restrain the attacker with a taser but when that failed a colleague shot the man dead. The attack took place on Rue Monsigny in the second arrondissement, an area that lies between the main opera house and the Louvre museum, two major tourist attractions. A large area was cordoned off where police, fire and rescue vehicles converged. Shocked tourists and residents looked on from behind the security perimeter. "I was on the cafe terrace, I heard three, four shots, it happened very fast," said 47-year-old Gloria. "The bartenders told us to come inside very quickly. Then I went out to see what was going on, and then I saw a man on the ground," she added. Beyond the police cordon, however, crowds still filled nearby cafes and the citys night life resumed its normal pace soon after the attack. Authorities are working to identify the assailant and anyone who might have helped him, Collomb told reporters Sunday. French police have been criticized in the past for failing to prevent attacks. Paris authorities called for calm and understanding. "Whatever the motivations of this odious act, let us remain united and standing," deputy mayor Bruno Julliard tweeted.