France, Dec. 16 -- The investigation, which will run parallel with their Australian counterparts, was opened for "murder in connection with a terrorist undertaking" and "attempted murder in connection with a terrorist undertaking", the French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (Pnat) said.

"The main objective of this investigation is to enable the victims and their relatives living in France to have access to information about the progress of the investigations being conducted by the French and Australian judicial authorities,"said a Pnat spokesperson.

"It's also toprovide support, assistance or technical expertise to the Australian judicial authorities."

Jewish festival of lights

Dan Elkayam, a 27-year-old computer engineer,...