French Prosecutor Says Stabbing Religiously Motivated

French authorities say a Muslim convert suspected of stabbing a soldier near Paris was probably acting based on his religious ideology.

Prosecutor Francois Molins said the suspect arrested in a southwestern Paris suburb on May 29 admitted to the attack.

He said the man, identified only as Alexandre and who turns 22 on May 30, had "a fairly clear intent to kill" during the stabbing.

Molins said he was known to police after undergoing an identity check in 2007 for praying on the street.

Private First Class Cedric Cordier was stabbed in the neck and injured while on patrol on May 25.

The attack came days after a British serviceman was hacked to death on a London street in a suspected terrorist attack.

There was no immediate confirmation of any link between the two attacks.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters