A hostage situation is underway near the French capital of Paris, a week after the deadly Islamist attacks in the city, local media report.

Authorities said two people are being held at gunpoint at a post office in Colombes, on the northwestern outskirts of Pairs.

The hostage-taker is a client who "seems to have lost his head. He speaks of a love disappointment," Paris police told AFP, adding that at the moment there is nothing suggesting the incident is connected to last week terror attacks.

The area has been cordoned off by security forces, with a police helicopter hovering over the scene. The hostage taker is reportedly armed with a rifle. Police negotiators are said to have made contact with the man.

Early reports suggested the incident might have been a robbery gone wrong.

It comes amid high tensions in France, following the three days of terror that engulfed the capital last week.

Paris is at its highest terrorism alert level and anxiety in the country has grown as the hunt continues for potential accomplices of the three Paris gunmen.

This morning, Paris Gare de l'Est train station was evacuated after a bomb threat.

Brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi killed 12 people at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo before taking a man hostage at a printing warehouse in Dammartin-en-Goële.

Meanwhile, gunman, Amedy Coulibaly shot a policewoman dead and then stormed a kosher supermarket killing four Jewish shoppers.

All three attackers were killed by police at the end of two separate tense hostage stand-offs.