PARIS, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- The knife attacker who killed one and wounded eight near Lyon on Saturday afternoon was unknown to the French intelligence services as radicalized, Prosecutor of Lyon Nicolas Jacquet told a press conference on Sunday.
Without any judicial antecedent, the man's identity is still being checked by the French authorities. He has given two identities to the police -he could be of Afghan nationality and could be aged 31, 33 or 37, said the prosecutor.
It is known to the French authorities that he arrived in France in 2009, was then located in Italy in 2014, in Germany in 2015 and in Norway in 2016. He entered France again in 2016 and was in possession of a residence card with renewal application until Jan. 31, 2020.
He was accommodated in a reception center for refugees in Vaulx-en-Velin, near central Lyon. His phone is being analyzed.
According to a preliminary psychological analysis, the man is in a "pervasive psychotic state with paranoid delusion with multiple themes including mysticism and religion," said Jacquet.
He admitted to heavy use of cannabis and told police officers that he is a Muslim. He said he heard voices insulting God and asking him to kill, but his remarks remained inconsistent and confusing, said the Prosecutor.
Several witnesses said the man was shouting religious words during the attack but many other witnesses spoke of delusional behaviour, he added.
The attack took place around 4:25 pm (local time) on Saturday at a bus station in Villeurbanne. Villeurbanne is located in northeast of Lyon and forms part of the same metropolitan area.
The man stabbed passers-by randomly, killing the first victim and injuring seven others. He injured an eighth person before taking the escalator to the adjacent subway station.
A judicial investigation is to be open on Monday, said the prosecutor.
