A Jewish man wearing a skullcap was stabbed on the street in the eastern French city of Strasbourg by an attacker who reportedly cried "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) as he carried out his assault.

The 62-year-old named Chalom Levy, regarded as a “local hero” by his community after pulling a woman out of a blazing car some years ago, had just stepped out of his home in the Jewish district to do some shopping for the Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest on Saturday.

“A man with a knife ran up to him and shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ and then stabbed him in the stomach,” a local rabbi and friend of the victim, Mendel Samama, told the Telegraph.

“He tried to stab him again - he clearly wanted to kill him - but Chalom somehow managed to get away,” he said.

Mr Levy, a retired meat factory worker, ran to a nearby café and was helped by staff and customers there, who barricaded the doors and called for police and an ambulance.