Driver tries to ram soldiers in France

No injuries as servicemen dive out of the way; police hunt for vehicle and driver who also shouted insults at another group of troops

PARIS, France — A man tried to ram his car into soldiers jogging near their barracks in southeast France on Thursday, but failed to caused any injuries, security sources said.

A hunt was underway for the driver, who insulted another group of soldiers after the aborted attack in Varces-Allieres-et-Risset, near Grenoble, before speeding off, the sources added.

The soldiers dived into a ditch to avoid the vehicle, the BBC reported.

The incident comes with France on edge after a jihadist rampage in the southwest last week, where a 25-year-old radicalized gunman killed four people, including a policeman who took the place of a hostage in a supermarket siege.

On Thursday, the four victims of the attack in the town of Carcassonne and nearby Trebes, including the heroic officer Arnaud Beltrame, will be laid to rest in the region.

Paying tribute to the officer at a national ceremony in Paris on Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron said his act of supreme self- sacrifice would “remain etched in French hearts.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.