Paris – Two men were on Tuesday being held for questioning on suspicion that they supplied a handgun to the man who attacked a soldier in Paris' Orly airport, a judicial source said.

The attacker, Ziyed Ben Belgacem, was shot dead as he tried to seize the weapon of a female soldier at Orly airport on Saturday, shouting "I am here to die for Allah."

Traffic at Paris's second airport was interrupted for hours after the incident.

Investigators have said that early indications were that Belgacem, who had an extensive criminal record, had been radicalized while in prison.

His father, who was held for questioning briefly after the incident, denied that his son was a terrorist, saying he drank alcohol and didn't pray.