French investigators have found no evidence that a man who drove his car into troops guarding a mosque in southern France on New Year's Day was linked to a terrorist group, a local prosecutor says.
"We have no evidence that could indicate an act of terrorism," Valence prosecutor Alex Perrin told reporters, saying the 29-year old Frenchman of Tunisian descent seemed to have acted alone.
"He reportedly shouted "Allah is great", which suggests some sort of religious element."
"When he was apprehended, he mentioned the fact that he wanted to kill troops because troops killed people," the prosecutor added on Saturday.
"He said he wanted to be killed by troops."
There was also no indication that the man was suffering from mental illness, the prosecutor said. He had been unemployed for several years and was not known to police or intelligence services, the prosecutor added.
The practising Muslim lived in a suburb of Lyon, 100km north of the town of Valence where the incident took place. "He had come to Valence, where his family-in-law lives, for the end of year holiday," the prosecutor said.
He was shot in the legs and arm by the troops and was still in hospital on Saturday. A soldier and a Muslim man were also slightly injured in the incident.
French television showed an amateur video of the soldiers surrounding the red Peugeot estate car and shouting "get out" before shooting, with the vehicle ending up in a ditch.
France has been on high alert since Islamic State militants killed 130 people in Paris on November 13. Soldiers are protecting sensitive places across the country, including official buildings and religious sites.
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