The stabbing of a French soldier, near Paris, is being investigated by French anti-terrorist investigators.

The soldier was stabbed in the neck while on duty in La Defense, a business district to the west of the capital.

Private First Class Cedric Cordier was attacked from behind by a man who, according to reports, was of North African origin. France’s defence minister Jean Yves Le Drian said the attacker chose Cordier due to him being a soldier.

President Francois Hollande said there was no sign that the attack was directly linked with the killing of a British soldier in London on Wednesday.