PARIS – French authorities said a driver deliberately slammed into passersby in several spots around the southeastern city of Lyon, injuring several people and raising national concern.
The government said the driver’s motives were unclear. But the strange incident Sunday evening came a day after an attack on police in another French town that counter-terrorist police are investigating, and amid general concern after several threats by Islamic extremist groups calling for attacks against France.
The Interior Ministry said the driver in Sunday’s car attack, a 40-year-old driving a Renault Clio, was arrested.
Police union official Michel Bonnet said on BFM television that some witnesses apparently heard the driver say “Allahu Akbar,” or “God Is Great,” and refer to the “children of Palestine.”
But the Interior Ministry would not confirm that.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve was to head to Lyon on Monday.