Updated | French teacher who claimed to have been stabbed 'lied'

A teacher who claimed to have been stabbed by a man shouting “Islamic State” at a preschool class in Aubervilliers, a suburb of Paris, has admitted to lying.

French prosecutors confirmed that the teacher, who has not been identified, admitted to having invented the assault at the Jean Perrin preschool.

It “was a fake attempt, done so that he could have himself transferred” to another job, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to reporters about the episode.

The teacher claimed that the 'attacker' shouted: "This is for Daesh [Islamic State]. It's a warning", stabbing the teacher with a box cutter or scissors before fleeing. It was reported that the 'attacker' arrived wearing a balaclava and gloves but was unarmed and used weapons he found in the classroom. A manhunt in vain ensued.

France remains on high alert after the terrorist attacks in Paris on 13 November that left 130 people dead.

Local official Philippe Galli said there were no children present at the time of the attack but other staff members were in the building. Classes have been cancelled.

The anti-terrorism branch of the Paris prosecutor's office has opened an investigation for attempted murder in relation to a terrorist act.

The Islamic State's French-language magazine Dar-al-Islam recently urged followers to kill teachers in France, describing them as "enemies of Allah" for teaching secularism, Agence France-Presse news agency reports.