Police said he opened fire on a police van, killing a 37-year-old officer, before shooting at other officers guarding a Turkish tourist office on the heavily patrolled Champs-Elysees shopping and dining boulevard. Belgian security officials had warned French counterparts before the attack that El Osri was a "very risky individual en route to France" aboard the Thalys high-speed train. One officer was killed, and police shot and killed the gunman after he had seriously wounded two others.
The terrorist group said it was behind the attack and named the gunman as Abu Yusuf al Beljiki, suggesting he was from Belgium.
Meanwhile, two French officials told The Associated Press the suspect was detained in February for threatening police, but was then freed due to a lack of evidence.
He was also convicted in 2003 of attempted homicide in the shootings of two police officers.
Three people from the suspect's family have been taken into custody for questioning, he added.
A French interior ministry spokesman initially confirmed on Friday that a second man was being sought, based on information from Belgian security services.
U.S. president Donald Trump was among the first leaders to express his sorrow over the shootings in Paris. The gunman himself was killed in a shootout with police.
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Police knew he was driving his Nissan Rogue and had been spotted in Oklahoma City on March 15 but from there the trail went cold. Police investigated the area for around a week and a half, and when they were certain it was indeed Cummins, they arrested him.
Sources told AFP that a handwritten note in praise of ISIS was found near the attacker's body, and a Koran in his vehicle nearby.
National security is a burning issue for many in France after attacks by militant Islamists across the country have killed more than 230 people over the past two years.
United States vice president Mike Pence said the shooting was the "latest reminder that terrorism can strike anywhere, any time" and his country "will not relent in our effort to end terrorism".
He, along with Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, offered his support to France which was struck by the attack just days before the first round of presidential elections.
The shooting has not officially been declared a terrorist act but anti-terrorist forces are leading the investigation, French President François Hollande said.
The President again weighed in on the attack Friday morning, tweeting, "Another terrorist attack in Paris". That's why French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve announced dramatic security measures.
An Elabe opinion poll, carried out before the shooting on the Champs Elysees, showed Mr Macron with 24% in the first round, and Ms Le Pen falling back slightly to 21.5%.
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