French soldier patrolling in Paris stabbed in neck: Police

The soldier was patrolling in uniform in a Parisian locality when he was attacked.

PARIS: A French soldier patrolling a business area of western Paris was stabbed in the neck on Saturday by a man who quickly fled the scene and was still being sought, a police source said.

The soldier, patrolling as part of France's Vigipirate anti-terrorist surveillance plan, was injured in the stabbing around six pm but would survive, the source said.

It was not immediately clear what was the motive behind the attack.

The soldier was patrolling in uniform with two other men as
part of France's Vigipirate anti-terrorist surveillance plan
when he was approached from behind around 1800 p.m. and stabbed in the neck with a knife or a box-cutter.

French President Francois Hollande, in the Ethiopian city of Addis Ababa, commented on the stabbing to say that the man was still on the run and police were exploring all leads.

"We still don't know the exact circumstances of the attack
or the identity of the attacker, but we are exploring all
options," Hollande told journalists.

Earlier this week, two men hacked to death a British soldier in London in an apparent terror attack.

British prime minister David Cameron called the attack “appalling” and said, “There are strong indications that it is a terrorist incident.”

Armed police shot and wounded the two suspected attackers.

One broadcaster showed footage of one of the men at the scene carrying a blood-covered knife and meat cleaver saying to the camera: “We swear… we will never stop fighting you.”

The black man, dressed in a grey hooded jacket and black woolly hat, made a number of political statements to bystanders.