Car attack on French soldiers 'premeditated terrorism’

By Hajer M'tiri

PARIS (AA) - A car ramming targeting French soldiers last week in a suburb of northwest Paris was a "premeditated terrorist attack," Paris chief prosecutor Francois Molins said Wednesday.

At least six anti-terrorism soldiers were injured August 9 when a man driving a BMW ploughed into them in Levallois-Perret. They had been taking part in Operation Sentinel -- a nationwide security operation aimed at “protecting against and dissuading” attacks on French soil.

It was the fifth attack on Operation Sentinel soldiers since 2015.

The driver, identified by Molins as 36-year-old Hamou B., was later shot and arrested.

Molins told a news conference that investigations found evidence supporting "the premeditated and terrorist nature of the attack" as the suspect “violently and deliberately hit the military forces."

Based on video surveillance footage, investigators found that the car was already at Place de Verdun, where the attack took place, at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 6, three days before the attack.

The chief prosecutor said "the state of the suspect” still does not allow for him to be questioned by police.

He added the suspect had recently been interested in terrorist organizations such as Daesh and seemed to have some initial plans to travel to Syria.

France has been on high alert with enhanced security measures in the wake of deadly terror attacks over the last two years.