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The UK newspaper The Guardian has reported that three people may have been killed in a stabbing incident in the city of Glasgow in Scotland.

The alleged assailant was shot dead by police.

Scottish police described it as a "serious incident", which shut down the centre of the city.

In a statement made before the deaths were confirmed Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson, of Police Scotland, said the incident had been "contained" and there was no risk to the general public, according to AFP.

"Armed police officers attended the incident and I can confirm that a male suspect was shot by an armed officer," he said in a statement.

"I can also confirm that a police officer was injured while dealing with the incident and that officer is receiving treatment in hospital."

He did not say how the police officer was injured. The suspect was later confirmed dead.

The incident, which Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called "truly dreadful", shut down central Glasgow, as emergency services rushed to the scene.

Britain's called the reports "deeply alarming".

It comes less than a week after three people were .

The police arrested a Libyan man after the Reading stabbing and treated the incident as terror-related.

Videos posted on social media showed armed police in plain clothes in central Glasgow, near the Park Inn Hotel, which had been cordoned off.

One witness quoted by the UK’s Press Association news agency said he saw one man lying on the ground without shoes, and someone was holding his side.

"I don't know if it was a bullet wound, a stab wound, or what it was," said Craig Milroy, who works in an office nearby. He said the man was one of four people taken away by medics.

"After that we saw commotion, ambulances further up and we saw armed police all running into the hotel next to the Society Room.

"We were still standing outside, after that the police all came down, the riot police and triage team told us to go back in and lock the door."

Another witness, who gave her name as Louisa, told Sky News television she saw "people being treated with blood on the ground".

"I saw people running out of the hotel with the police shouting, 'put your hands up, put your hands up, come out'," she added.

"There were police cars, ambulances all over the street and they cordoned it off.

"Police were shouting to people in other buildings near the Park Inn hotel to stay inside and not come into the street."

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