PARIS // French authorities have arrested a man suspected of stabbing a French soldier in an attack that took place days after the May 22 killing of a British serviceman in London by men shouting Islamist slogans.
Manuel Valls, France's interior minister, said in a statement that the suspect was arrested this morning in the Yvelines region just west of Paris, following the attack on Saturday that saw soldier Cedric Cordiez stabbed in the neck.
"He was known, but we cannot speak of radical Islamism," Mr Valls said referring to the suspect being known to the police for crimes such as theft and possession of firearms. "I remain very cautious."
The attack on Saturday in a busy underground shopping and transport hub echoed the grisly killing of another soldier in London last week and authorities are seeking to determine if the Paris incident was a copycat.
The 23-year-old French soldier was attacked from behind with a knife or box-cutter while patrolling the La Defense business neighbourhood west of Paris.
Mr Cordiez was released from the hospital on Monday.
