Driver rams vehicle into pedestrians in Dijon, France

December 22, 2014 -- Updated 1139 GMT (1939 HKT)

Police collect evidence at the site where a driver shouting 'Allahu Akbar' plowed into a crowd injuring 11 people, two seriously.

 A driver rammed a vehicle into pedestrians in the French city of Dijon on Sunday, reportedly shouting "God is great" in Arabic as he did so.

The incident came a day after a man stabbed three police officers in central France while allegedly calling out the same phrase.

At least 12 people were injured by the vehicle, said police in Dijon, a city in eastern France. A man has been arrested in connection with the case, they said.

CNN affiliate BFM TV reported that eyewitnesses heard the driver shout the phrase "Allahu Akbar" -- Arabic for "God is great."

The incident took place after a man entered a police station Saturday in the suburbs of Tours, in central France, and stabbed three police officers before police shot and killed him.

That assailant also reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar."

'The severity of the state'

The stabbing attack is being investigated by French counter-terrorism authorities.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls acknowledged those affected by the violence.

 

 

"Support for the gravely injured and shocked police officers in Tours," he wrote on Twitter. "Those who attack them will have to face up to the severity of the state."

Regarding Dijon, he voiced "solidarity" with the victims and support for their families.

Concerns over 'lone wolf' attacks

The events come amid concerns in the West about so-called "lone wolf" attacks by Islamic extremists influenced by the terrorist group ISIS.

ISIS, which controls large areas of Iraq and Syria, has called for attacks against civilians in Western countries. France is part of the coalition of countries that has been carrying out strikes against ISIS targets.

source: CNN