The suspect was a Syrian refugee granted asylum in Sweden 10 years ago and in France legally, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne says.

The boy reportedly told another teacher that a 'voice' had told him to carry out the action.

Local media reported that the suspect told authorities he 'wanted to kill people so he could be sentenced to death'.

He has admitted to the assaults, telling police he had been wanting to kill happy-looking women for years.

He attacked seven strangers with a kitchen knife 'because he was so upset' about something he regarded as blasphemous.

Authorities say the man's father revealed that 'his son had adopted a rigorous practice of Islam'.

While the alleged attacker's father is Catholic and his mother Muslim, his father says he always told him to go to the mosque or the church, whichever he wanted.

Amirull Ali studied an image of the human body to identify the best place to stab victims and made reconnaissance trips to the Maghain Aboth Synagogue in 2019.

The former PM says his comments were taken out of context.

Sophie Lemiere also criticises Anwar Ibrahim's response to the crisis in France as 'pseudo-intellectual'.

Twitter says Mahathir's comments 'violated policy regarding glorification of violence'.

French anti-terror prosecutors are handling the inquiry into charges related to a 'terrorist murder'.