An “Islamist terrorist” who allegedly stabbed a man to death in France avoided deportation 10 times, the country’s interior minister said on Sunday.

The knife-wielding maniac shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he attacked and killed a civilian passerby — before setting upon a group of municipal officers in Mulhouse, France.

As he began his attack, the 37-year-old was heard shouting, “Allahu akbar,” according to France’s antiterrorism police. The Arabic phrase, meaning “God is great,” is an everyday expression used in religious and nonreligious settings alike, but has also become a war cry in some terrorist attacks by Islamic fundamentalists.