Driver rams soldiers outside French mosque

PARIS

A driver was shot and wounded Friday as he drove a car at soldiers guarding a mosque in southeastern France, local authorities said.

Police said the driver deliberately steered towards the four soldiers in a suburb of Valence in the Rhone-Alpes region. One soldier sustained an injured leg when the Peugeot 307 hit him.

France remains on high alert in the aftermath of the Nov. 13 Paris attacks that killed 130 people and troops are stationed at high-profile sites such as government offices and religious buildings.

In January last year, 17 people were killed in attacks on the Charlie Hebdo magazine’s office and a Jewish supermarket.

The driver was shot in the arm and leg as he made a second pass at the soldiers. The motive for the attack is not known.

In a joint statement, the defense and interior ministries said the driver's injuries were “serious but currently not life-threatening”.

A worshipper at the mosque was hit in the leg by a stray bullet.