Man attacks two women with hammer in France

A man attacked two women with a hammer in a town in central France on Friday shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) before fleeing the scene, the local prosector said.

Anti-terrorism prosectors are "following the case" but have not taken it on formally, Chalon-sur-Saone's prosecutor Damien Savarzeix told AFP.

A source close to the investigation said earlier that the assailant was thought to have psychological problems.

One of the women, hit in the back of the head, needed four stitches, the prosecutor and police said in a joint statement.

The two attacks occurred within minutes of each other, the statement said.

A police helicopter took part in the manhunt as well as around 50 police officers.