TEMPO.CO, France - French police arrested a 36-year-old man who allegedly rammed a group of soldiers with a BMW car outside the Paris capital and wounded six of them.
As reported by the Guardian, Wednesday, August 9, 2017, police said the man was shot five times in pursuit near the gas station between Boulogne-sur-Mer and Calais.
"The man is now hospitalized while a policeman is wounded in the pursuit," the French police statement said.
Until now the police have not identified the man, but admitted that he was not on the national security list.
Police say the black BMW rental car that the man drove is certainly the same as the car that hit the soldiers.
French police are now searching homes for links with terrorist groups. They have not been able to confirm his involvement.
But Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, insists that the arrested person is the same person who carried out the attack.
The French counter-terrorism unit is now under investigation for an attack on the northwestern suburbs of Paris, which left six soldiers wounded. According to Paris police, three of them are in serious condition even though the wounds are not life-threatening.
Interior Minister of Paris, Gerard Collomb, said the attack was a "deliberate action."
"The car drove to the area to hit a group of soldiers," Collomb said. "We're not sure the incident was an accident."
The mayor of Levallois-Perret, Patrick Balkany, said the car had already taken off in a small alley, waiting for troops from the 35th Infantry Regiment to get out of the building.
The army group is part of the French Sentinel Operation, formed after Charlie Hebdo's terror attack in January 2015. While the location of the attack on Levallois-Perret, a calm and prosperous neighborhood, is home to DCRI headquarters, the French intelligence agency.
An eyewitness identified as Zakia told BFMTV that he was awakened by an explosive sound, then ran to the balcony to see what was really going on.
"I saw a soldier lying on the ground ... then firefighters and paramedics arrived," he said. "I saw the whole scene, and I was very surprised."
Another unnamed woman said that she heard a big bang from a car accident. "
"We saw all emergency vehicles, firefighters, police, paramedics.We saw two people on the ground, treated by firefighters and doctors."
The collision of soldiers by car was the sixth attack on French security forces in 2017. Previous incidents took place in Paris's famous sights such as the Louvre, the Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Orly airport.
France is in a state of emergency after a spate of terror attacks and soldiers are patrolling regularly around Paris. The government has put the country on a high alert after a series of terror attacks claimed by ISIS.
GUARDIAN | BBC | SITA PLANASARI AQUADINI
