France Knife Attack Leaves Multiple People Dead, At Least 4 Wounded

French police have launched a terrorism investigation after two people were killed and five wounded in a knife attack in south-east France.

The attack began at 10.45 a.m. on Saturday and unfolded at several different spots in the center of Romans-sur-Isere, a town of some 33,000 people 25 km from Valence. At the moment of his arrest, the man was kneeling and praying in Arabic, according to reports in French media. The assailant, understood to be a refugee from Sudan, was arrested after the attack in the town of Romans-sur-Isere.

During a search of the suspect's home, "handwritten documents with religious connotations were found", it said.

France is in its third week of a lockdown aimed at stemming the spread of the deadly coronavirus. The media say shoppers were queuing in front of a bakery near the scene at the time of the attack. The victims were out food shopping on a street lined with shops, authorities said.

"At present seven people are said to be injured, four of whom are in absolute emergency".

Some 100 police and 45 firefighters were involved in the operation and securing the area, Castaner said.

One of the injured was said to be in a critical condition in hospital. The total number of coronavirus cases in France was 68,605, Reuters said.

The man was later arrested, but his identity and motive remain unclear.

Following that, they reported, the assailant entered a tobacco shop, stabbed the tobacconist and two customers, and then went into the local butcher's shop.

French President Emmanuel Macron used the messaging service Twitter to decry the attack as "an odious act".

France Bleu reported the person is believed to have shouted "Allahu Akbar" whereas charging at his victims.