- Six soldiers injured when car drive into their unit in Paris suburb
Incident took place on Wednesday morning and the driver fled the scene
Soldiers were part of anti-terrorism operation deployed after 2015 attacks
Local mayor slammed attack as a 'deliberate, odious act of aggression'
Mayor claimed driver of the BMW had 'parked up in wait' before incident
The driver of a dark BMW is alleged to have been waiting for the soldiers to leave the barracks before speeding into the group in a suspected terror attack.
The anti-terrorism unit of the Paris prosecutors' office has now launched a probe into the incident as police still hunt for the driver, who fled the scene in Levallois-Perret, a northwestern suburb of the capital.
A probe has been ordered into 'attempted killings... in relation to a terrorist undertaking', Paris prosecutors said in a statement.
Two soldiers are reported to have been seriously injured in the incident, which took place at about 8am local time on Wednesday.
Police officials said witnesses described seeing a dark-coloured BMW with one person inside waiting in a cul-de-sac near a building used for soldiers from the Sentinelle security force, which was created after the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015.
The BMW drove into the group as they were leaving their barracks, before speeding off.
Eye-witnesses have described horrific scenes of injured soldiers on the ground and troops chasing after the speeding car.
Nadia LeProhon said she was startled by a loud crash outside her building in the Paris suburb of Levallois-Perret, and rushed outside to see two soldiers on the ground.
Other soldiers ran after a speeding car, shouting 'After him! Follow that car!'
She said the scream that followed the crash was still echoing through her head. 'I'll never forget that scream - a scream of pain and distress.'
Jean-Claude Veillant, resident of an apartment building directly above the scene, witnessed part of the attack.
'I heard a loud noise, the sound of scraping metal. Shortly after, I saw one of the badly wounded lying in front of the Vigipirate (army patrol) vehicle and another one behind it receiving treatment,' he told reporters.
The mayor of Levallois-Perret, Patrick Balkany, said the incident had 'without any doubt' been deliberate. 'It's an odious act of aggression,' Balkany told BFM TV.
Mr Balkany claimed that the driver of the BMW had 'pre-positioned itself in the alley (where the barracks is located) and barreled into them,' adding that the car had 'accelerated very quickly'.
France's Defence Minister Florence Parly has condemned the suspected terrorist attack as a 'cowardly act'.
The incident 'does nothing to dent soldiers' determination to work for the security of the French people,' she said in a statement.
Levallois-Perret is home to France's main intelligence agency and a staging point for soldiers assigned to protect prominent sites after recent attacks.
The attack happened as a three-soldier night patrol handed over their duties to a day patrol of the same number, said local council spokesman David-Xavier Weiss.
Mr Weiss said that the layout of the street had prevented the person behind the wheel from injuring more people.
'The arrangement of the square meant that the attacker did not have enough of a run-up to cause more damage,' said Mr Weiss.
He said the men were standing next to a temporary barracks set up by the council for soldiers taking part in Opération Sentinelle.
'It gives them a place to change, eat and rest,' he said. The municipal building is less that a mile from the anti-terrorist HQ.
A security perimeter has now been set up around the area, with shops and homes evacuated, and a local park shut.
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