French man rams car into soldiers guarding mosque in southern France: media

A man rammed his car into French soldiers guarding a mosque in the southern French city of Valence on Friday afternoon, local media reported.

One soldier shot at the attacker who is seriously wounded and hospitalized, local media said, citing sources from the local government of the department of Drome.

Around 15h00 CET (14h00 GMT) on Friday afternoon, a man rammed his red Peugeot 307 registered in the department of Savoie into four soldiers guarding the mosque as part of French army's "Operation Sentinelle" launched after the deadly terrorist attacks in january 2015 to protect sensitive areas on the territory, said the daily Le Figaro, adding that one soldier fired back with his gun and hit the man in the arm and the leg.

The soldier, whose life is not in danger, was hit by the car and injured in the knee and tibia, while a passerby was wounded by a stray bullet shot by the soldier, explained local media.

According to the media, the attacker has been identified and was not known to the police. The motives and health conditions of the attacker were not yet known, as reported by media.

However, the mayor of Valence, Nicolas Daragon, said to local media that "it is an isolated act". Endit