A uniformed French soldier has been stabbed near Paris while on patrol, prompting speculation that it may have been a copycat attack of the recent London soldier slaying

The attacker is thought to be North African, and was wearing a robe and Muslim prayer cap. He attacked the soldier, 23, from behind, stabbing him in the neck with a knife or box-cutter. The soldier reportedly lost a lot of blood, but is alive in hospital. The attacker remains at large. "The aim was to kill the soldier because he was a soldier," said the French defense minister adding that the attacker wanted "to kill a soldier who is in charge of French security." Authorities are investigating any possible links with the London attack.