French anti-terrorism prosecutor now probing Paris suburb knife attack

France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor has taken over the investigation into Friday’s fatal knife attack near Paris. The incident left two people, including the suspect, dead and two more injured.

The 22-year-old suspect, identified only as Nathan C, went on a rampage at a park to the south of the French capital. The attacker managed to kill a 56-year-old man and injure two more people before the police gunned him down.

It apparently took over a day for the French authorities to attribute a terrorist motive to the stabbing, as the case was referred to the country’s anti-terrorism prosecutor late on Saturday. The rampage was initially investigated by local prosecutors, who said that they uncovered “elements linked to religion” among the suspect’s personal belongings, which “suggested he had converted to Islam” recently.

The suspect’s possessions included a copy of the Koran, which was recovered close to his body. French media described the attacker as a European (presumably white) bearded man, who was barefoot at the time of the incident and wore a black djellaba. Local prosecutors, however, said that the man actually had a history of mental health problems, and that “no evidence” of radicalization had been uncovered as of Friday night.

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