The incident in which a man and his passenger tried to run over troops outside an army base in south-eastern France was not terror-related, a local prosecutor has said.
The pair were initially reported to have yelled death threats in Arabic – but Grenoble Prosecutor Jean-Yves Coquillat told that ‘there was no religious talk, no Allahu Akbar pronounced’.
‘This is quite clearly not a case of terrorism,’ he said.
Attacks: The driver first shouted insults at a group of soldiers jogging by their barracks in Varces, pictured, before returning to attempt to run over a second group
Search: Police are seen outside the barracks in southeastern France, as they try to find the stolen black Peugeot and driver responsible
The incident caused a flurry of alarm because it came soon after and ISIS terrorist went on the rampage in southern France last Friday, killing four people.
It was the first militant attack since President Emmanuel Macron lifted a state of emergency in November.
A spokesman for the army’s land regiments based in the Isere region told Reuters earlier soldiers had told police the driver first passed them shouting abuse in Arabic, before returning and attempting to run them down. No one was hurt in the incident.
‘There were a good 10 of them jogging outside their barracks. He targeted one group of four, but none were hit,’ the Isere land forces spokesman said.
The suspect was arrested in a stolen Peugeot 208 in Grenoble, about nine miles north of Varces-Allieres-et-Risset, where the incident took place.
Coquillat said the 25-year-old man was known to authorities for petty crime and had spent some time in prison. He was found drunk, passed out at the wheel of the car.
‘There was no radicalization during this period and this person was totally unknown to counter-terrorism services’, Coquillat said.
The car, a Peugeot 208 was initially believed to have been stolen, but was reported by prosecutors in Grenoble to have had fake license plates.
Police sealed off the area and began a search for the driver and the female passenger, and both were later arrested.
The woman was reported to be the driver’s partner, as well as the owner of the car.
The soldiers were all from the 93rd Mountain Artillery Regiment, and the reason for the man’s attempt to ram them remains unclear.
Attempted attack: The driver tried to ram his vehicle into troops from Varces’ 93rd Mountain artillery regiment, pictured, before speeding off
Manhunt: Police in the area are seen looking at a map as they tracked down the driver of a Peugeot who tried to run over the soldiers
Army spokesman Colonel Benoit Brulon, said: ‘At around 8:15am today, a man verbally threatened six or seven soldiers who were out jogging. Then he did the same thing to a second group of runners.
‘When they returned to speak to him, he tried to ram them them. The soldiers managed to get on to the pavement without being crushed.
‘Gendarmes cordoned off the area and opened an investigation. On the military side, we have reinforced our security perimeter. A search has been launched to try and find the driver.’
The mayor in Varces, Jean-Luc Corbet, has ordered local residents to remain cautions and for schools and nurseries to close and the children to remain there until further notice.
Narrow escape: The soldiers were targeted while jogging outside their base in Varces-Allieres-et-Risset, near Grenoble
Incidents: A map shows where today’s attempted attack took place, and where four people were killed by an ISIS terrorist last Friday
The incident took place less than a week after a 25-year-old ISIS terrorist hijacked a car and went on a killing spree in the southwestern part of France.
Radouane Lakdim went on to to shoot and kill four people in the town of Carcassonne and nearby Trebes where he burst into a supermarket shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ and saying he was a ‘soldier of the Islamic State, ready to die for Syria’ .
On Thursday, the four victims of the attacks, including heroic police officer Arnaud Beltrame who died after taking the place of a female hostage, were laid to rest in the region.
Paying tribute to the officer at a national ceremony in Paris on Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron said his act of supreme self- sacrifice would ‘remain etched in French hearts’.
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