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Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Authorities said they shot and arrested a suspect in Wednesday's vehicle attack on a group of French military soldiers in Paris. Six soldiers were injured when they were struck by a car early Wednesday, an incident officials are regarding as an act of terrorism.
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The soldiers of the 35th Infantry Regiment left a building at around 8 a.m. and were knocked down by a black BMW previously parked behind the city hall of Lavallois-Perret, a Paris suburb.
Defense Minister Florence Parly said three soldiers received serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
After a manhunt of several hours, one suspect was shot by police and arrested on a highway leading from Paris. A police officer was also injured by gunfire during the apprehension, the prosecutors' office said.
The suspect's identity was not immediately released.
Lavallois-Perret Mayor Patrick Balkany told local media that the car was "pre-positioned" in an alleyway, its driving waiting for the soldiers to emerge from the building.
A spokeswoman for the Paris prosecutors' office said the incident is regarded as a deliberate act of terrorism.
About 7,000 soldiers have been deployed around the Paris area to protect government offices, tourist attractions and houses of worship. The city has sustained about a dozen terror attacks since the Nov. 13, 2015, assaults by Islamic State militants that killed 130 people. About half of those incidents targeted police or other security forces.
