The bloodbath took place in the town of Romans-sur-Isère, which is south of the eastern city of Lyon, late on Saturday morning. It corresponded to numerous suicidal knife attacks carried out by Islamic State-linked terrorists in France in recent years. A Sudanese refugee was in custody in France today after stabbing two people to death and wounding seven others in a suspected lone wolf terrorist attack during the coronavirus lockdown.

This time, the 33-year-old – who has been identified as Abdallah A.O – was heard to shout ‘Alluhu Akbar’ – Arabic for ‘God is the Greatest’ – before lashing out with a blade.

A crazed knifeman stabbed two people to death and injured seven in France. Pictured: Emergency services at the scene. When police arrived the man screamed ‘Kill me! Kill me!’, but the officers were able to arrest him without harming him.

France’s Interior Minister Christophe Castener later described how the man – who arrived from Sudan a few months ago but who was not previously known to police – attacked his victims in a bakery, a tobacconist and then out on the street, before police intervened at around 11am.

France’s anti-terrorism prosecutors said Abdallah had been seeking asylum in the country despite ‘complaining about living in a country of non-believers’.

A spokesman for the office said: ‘During a search carried out at his home, police found handwritten documents with religious connotation in which the author of the lines complains in particular of living in a country of non-believers.’

The spokesman said an enquiry had been launched into ‘two assassinations and attempted assassinations in relation to a terrorist enterprise.’ He confirmed that Abdallah was said to have murdered two unnamed victims with a knife, and severely wounded seven others.

The Sudanese are one of the biggest groups seeking asylum in France, with many feeling violence and extreme poverty in the Darfur region, as well as political persecution.

The UK was there preferred destination for many years, but the closure of the so-called ‘Jungle’ refugee camp in Calais made it more difficult to cross the English Channel.

Counter-terrorism prosecutors have launched an investigation into ‘murder linked to a terrorist enterprise’.

‘He was found on his knees on the pavement praying in Arabic,’ the prosecutor’s office said.

‘Anyone who had the misfortune to find themselves in his way were attacked,’ town mayor Marie-Helene Thoraval told AFP.

The attack in broad daylight, which President Emmanuel Macron called ‘an odious act’, took place with the country on lockdown in a bid to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus.

Among the injured, two are in intensive care in hospitals in the Lyon area.

One was stabbed in the bakery, before the attacker discarded his original knife, and then went into the butchers to pick up another one.

He then continued with his lethal rampage, jumping over a shop counter and sticking the butcher’s knife into a victim’s neck.

The man then ran out into the street and appeared to lash out at random at anyone in his way.

When police arrived he put his hands in the air and then asked to be shot.

‘He shouted at the police to kill him,’ said David Oliver, a spokesman for the Alliance national police union. ‘All the ingredients for a terrorist act are there for us.’

Without identifying the attacker or his victims, Mr Castaner confirmed that investigators were working ‘in conjunction with national anti-terrorist prosecutors, to shed light on this drama.’

President Emmanuel Macron added his voice to the outrage, saying: ‘My thoughts are with the victims of the Romans-sur-Isère attack, the injured, and their families.

‘All the light will be shed on this odious act which cause mourning in our country, which is already hit hard in recent weeks.’

The attack took place during a hugely strict Coronavirus lockdown, which only permits essential shops including bakeries, food shops and tobacconists to stay open.

Anybody caught on the streets without valid documentation faces a first fine of at least £120.

The attack comes on France’s third week of lockdown due to the coronavirus, which has killed more than 6,500 people in the country alone. Pictured: Police at the scene after the attack.

Saturday’s murders follow a series of bomb, gun and knife attacks carried out by Islamic State and al-Qaeda operatives in France, dating back to early 2015. The deadliest single terrorist attack ever in the country came in November 2015 when 130 people were killed in Paris.

Suicide bombers pledging allegiance to ISIS targeted the Stade de France, cafes, restaurants and the Bataclan music venue, where 90 died.