The attacker lunged at the soldier at the central Chatelet metro station (see below) around 6:30 am (0430 GMT), making reference to Allah, a police source said.
READ ALSO:
Chatelet metro station in Paris, where the incident took place. Google maps.
The soldier quickly brought the man, who, according to a source, was previously unknown to police, under control.
Following the attack on satirical weekly, Charlie Hebdo, the government launched an operation known as Sentinelle, deploying some 7,000 troops across the country to guard high-risk areas such as tourist sites and religious buildings.
France has been under a state of emergency since November 2015 and has seen a string of attacks on security forces who have been regularly targeted, particularly those guarding key tourist sites, sparking a debate over whether the troops should remain on the streets.
French defence minister Florence Parly said the fact that the attacker was swiftly brought under control Friday was “proof of the professionalism and efficiency of the Sentinelle soldiers in their mission to protect”.
“We do not know the intentions of the attacker, who was arrested,” she told Europe 1 radio
Source:Thelocal.fr