I saw the headline from Agence-France Presse, which should know better:

Nepal court defers ruling on French 'Bikini Killer'
Thursday, July 15, 2010 10:19 AM
By Subel Bhandari (AFP) —1 day ago

KATHMANDU —Nepal's Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred its ruling on a murder conviction appeal by "Bikini Killer" Charles Sobhraj, the Frenchman [Emphasis added]linked to a series of backpacker killings in Asia in the 1970s.

Hatchand Bhaonani Gurumukh Charles Sobhraj was born in Saigon of Vietnamese and Indian parents. He lived in France for a while, including serving a term in Poissy prison, and like a lot of Vietnamese he has a French passport, (legally, I mean, he's had any number of passports as a result of murder, escape and evasion)he is not what anyone would call a Frenchman.

He's called the "Bikini Killer" because two of his victims were found dead wearing bikinis—he preyed on American tourists in Thailand, Nepal, India, and Malaysia.

The term "French National", used in other reports, makes much more sense.

My position, not just politically, but on an English usage basis, is that you can be an American, a Canadian, or an Australian, no matter where your ancestors came from, but being a Frenchman or a Briton is hereditary.