Another Black Islamic Terrorist Attack on a soldier - French anti-terror soldier has throat slashed in Paris by 'man of North African origin in Woolwich copy-cat attack'

President Francois Hollande to investigate the 'theories' behind the incident

Attack occurred in area packed with shoppers in busy area of Paris

News of Woolwich murder has dominated French press since it happened.
A uniformed French soldier on anti-terrorist duties in Paris had his throat cut by a knife-wielding man tonight.


The savage attack follows the murder of a British soldier by two men using weapons including knives and a meat cleaver. One of the suspects said they were acting in the name of Islam.
Today there were fears that the Paris attack was a copy-cat crime and that a radical Muslim might once more be responsible.

French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he believes the attack was aimed to kill the soldier.
French president Francois Hollande said authorities were investigating any possible links with the attack on Drummer Rigby, who was killed in Woolwich, London, last week..

A Scotland Yard spokesman said he was unable to say whether police were connecting the incidents.
Police in the French capital described the attacker as a being ‘bearded, of North African origin and wearing a light coloured jihab’ under a jacket.

He pounced on the 23-year-old soldier outside a Virgin store in La Defence, the business district of the city which was packed with Saturday afternoon shoppers.
The weapon used was said to be a 'cutter' - the sharp edged tools used to slice open cardboard boxes.

The attack on a soldier in Paris was being treated as a 'terrorist incident', said a source at the Paris prosecutors office.
'The anti-terrorist branch of the prosecutors office is dealing with the matter,' the source added.

The soldier was knifed as a he patrolled around the suburban railway station for RER A service which links the French capital with the suburbs.
Pierre-Andre Peyvel, prefect of the Hauts-de-Seine district, said the soldier's wounds were 'serious enough'.

The soldier is currently at the nearby Percy hospital. 'Thousands of people were in the area at the time of the attack,' said Mr Peyvel. 'It would have been quite easy to blend into the crowd and then disappear.'

‘The attack happened just after 6pm,’ said a police source. ‘The soldier was stabbed repeatedly, most notably in the throat.

‘The attacker ran away and the military are still looking for him, supported by the police. He is around 30 years old and of Black Arab appearance. ‘The wounded soldier was taken to a local railway station for treatment and then on to hospital.’

The source said that the soldier’s life was not in danger, but he was ‘badly hurt’.

France's Interior Minister said the attack on the soldier could be compared 'to what happened in London' and that it was an attempted murder.

'There are elements, the sudden violence of the attack, which might suggest that it might have some kind of comparison with what happened in London," said Mr Manuel Valls.

He added : 'But at this point, honestly, let's be careful and do everything we can to arrest this individual who undoubtedly wanted to kill the soldier.'

According to the Nanterre prosecutor, Robert Gelli, the soldier was attacked from behind. The soldier was surrounded by comrades who are not thought to have heard the attacker 'say a word', said Mr Gelli.

The attacker was described by Mr Gelli as being around 6ft 2ins tall.