French soldier stabbed in neck

French interior minister Manuel Valls has urged caution over making any comparisons between the attack on a soldier near Paris with the Woolwich attack on Drummer Rigby.

Speaking to France 2 television, he said: "There are elements - the sudden violence of the attack - that could lead one to believe there might be a comparison with what happened in London,"

"But at this point, honestly, let us be prudent."

French authorities are investigating any possible links with an attack a soldier near Paris with the Woolwich attack on Drummer Rigby.

A French soldier was stabbed in the throat by an attacker who then fled the scene in a busy shopping area outside Paris, police told Reuters.

France President Francois Hollande said: "We still don't know the exact circumstances of the attack or the identity of the attacker, but we are exploring all options."

The 23-year-old soldier was not said to be in a life-threatening condition.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said he was unable to say whether police were connecting the incidents.

A French soldier in Paris has been stabbed in the neck by a man who quickly fled the scene and is still being sought, a police source has told Reuters.

The soldier, patrolling as part of France's Vigipirate anti-terrorist surveillance plan, was injured in the stabbing but would survive, the source said.

French daily Le Parisien cited police sources as saying the suspected attacker was a bearded man of North African origin about 30 years old, and was wearing an Arab-style garment under his jacket.