A Jewish man was stabbed today in Strasbourg, France, but police are ruling out terrorism as a motive, according to local media.

The attacker was heard shouting "Allahu Akbar", according to the French newspaper Le JDD but police have not confirmed this. They said the man has a long history of mental illness and the incident was "not terror related". 

The man who has not been identified, was arrested after the incident and is now in custody, Le Figaro reports.

The 55-year-old victim dressed in traditional Jewish clothing from the Hasidic secta was moderately wounded in the attack outside a restaurant in the north-eastern French city.

The attack comes after Catholic priest Father Jacques Hamel, 84, was murdered by Islamic extremists while celebrating a mass near Rouen, northern France.

France has been under a state of emergency since attacks claimed by Islamic State in Paris last November killed 130 people. A series of further attacks has meant the country remains on high alert.