A man was shot by soldiers after he rammed his car into them while they guarded a mosque in southern France.
The driver, who was alone, was arrested after he was shot in the arm and leg by a soldier after he hit them with his car in Valence on Friday.
He was taken to hospital after the shooting.
French authorities say the man’s motives are unclear but the country remains on high alert after the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13 in which 130 people were killed.
According to Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and Defence Minister Jean-Yves L Drian the man twice his rammed his car into the soldiers before shots were fired at him.
Valence Mayor Nicholas Daragon said one soldier suffered minor leg injuries and an elderly Muslim worshipper was also hurt when a stray bullet hit him in his calf.
He said the attack took place between two prayer services with hundreds of people at the mosque.
He said: “Even if this happened near a mosque, the target was the soldiers.
The secretary-general of the prosecutor's office, Frederic Ouiseau, told iTele that authorities must be "extremely prudent about the motive" for the attack.
French President Francois Hollande used his New Year’s Eve address to reiterate the dangers facing the country.
He said: “The threat is still there. It remains in fact at its highest level, and we are regularly disrupting planned attacks.”
