French police opened an investigation on Friday after a director at the Restos du Coeur charity said he had been stabbed earlier in the day by a couple shouting "Allahu Akbar," the Paris prosecutor's office said, reports Reuters.
The director of the Restos du Coeur soup kitchen in Montreuil, east of Paris, said a man who appeared to be of African origin swung an axe at him and missed, before his female accomplice stabbed him with several blows to the stomach, according to a statement by the prosecutor.
The victim told investigators the assailants attacked him inside the charity's premises and shouted 'God is greatest' in Arabic as they ran away. His injuries were not life threatening, the prosecutor said.
In a sign that French officials for now doubt terrorism as a motive, the investigation is being carried out by a regular prosecutor's office and criminal police rather than dedicated anti-terrorism units.