SUMMARY: A man suspected of stabbing the mayor of Paris will undergo psychiatric tests after telling police he dislikes politicians and gays.

A man suspected of stabbing the openly gay mayor of Paris early Sunday morning will undergo psychiatric tests after telling police he dislikes politicians and homosexuals, said investigators.

Azedine Berkane, 39, allegedly assaulted Mayor Bertrand Delanoë at Paris City Hall during an all-night cultural festival that took place in many government buildings. The mayor received a stab wound in his stomach, and he underwent surgery and is expected to spend at least a week in the hospital.

Delanoë, 52, "spent a good night and his doctors are very reassuring," deputy mayor Anne Hidalgo told French radio.

Berkane, the son of Algerian parents, has previously received psychiatric treatment, sources close to the case said. Berkane is said to have told police he is a practicing Muslim and believes homosexuality is evil.

The attack, which has has left Parisians shocked, follows an attempt on Bastille Day in July to assassinate President Chirac.

Delanoë publicly revealed his homosexuality in a television interview in 1998.

In March 2001 Paris voters chose him as their first left-wing (Socialist) mayor in 130 years.

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