French police arrest man after car was driven at soldiers

Police have detained a man Grenoble, France, after a group of soldiers were almost hit by a car while jogging near their barracks in south-eastern France.

10 Soldiers of the 93rd Mountain Artillery Regiment managed to avoid the oncoming vehicle in Varces-Allières-et-Risset.

The driver shouted in Arabic at the soldiers before the attack, and sped off afterwards in what reports said was a stolen Peugeot 208. Local schools went into lock-down

Reports suggest a woman was also in the car. No one was harmed.

The local public prosecutor Jean-Yves Coquillat has opened an investigation into the incident for attempted murder.

“We’re just starting the inquiry so we must remain careful as to the suspect’s motives,” Coquillat said. “Anti-terrorist judges might be instructed depending on how the situation evolves,” he added.

Police tweeted to say a man had been detained in a Grenoble market after a search operation.

France remains on high alert after a number of terror attacks in recent years, although in October last year President Macron lifted a state of emergency in place since 2015.

The latest attacked happened only a week ago, when a gunman took hostages at a supermarket in the south-western town of Trèbes.