Complex sentence: There were initial reports that the attacker had shouted the Islamic expression "Allahu Akbar" as the Dijon attacker had done the previous night, but police stated that a notebook in his van contained "incoherent suicidal phrases".
Split into simpler sentences: There were initial reports that the attacker had shouted the Islamic expression "Allahu Akbar" as the Dijon attacker had done the previous night. However, police stated that a notebook in his van contained "incoherent suicidal phrases".