Man tries to drive car into crowd outside Paris mosque

A man was arrested after trying to drive a car into a crowd in front of a mosque in the Paris suburb of Creteil on Thursday, police said, adding that no one was injured.

The driver's motives remain unclear. He did not succeed in reaching the crowd because of barriers in front of the mosque, police said in a statement.

An investigation, to be carried out by a regular police department rather than an anti-terrorism unit, will determine if the man can be held accountable for his actions.

According to Le Parisien newspaper, the man said he had wanted to avenge attacks linked to the Islamic State group that have left dozens in Paris dead in past years.

Last week, a man drove a van into Muslim worshippers leaving a mosque in London.

The 48-year-old man was arrested and charged in the incident that left one person dead and 10 others injured.

He was charged with terrorism-related murder and attempted murder.

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "Terrorism is terrorism whether it's inspired by Islamists, or whether it's inspired by others."

The Muslim Council of Britain said the vehicle hit people as they were leaving the Finsbury Park mosque, one of the biggest in the country. The attack was during Ramadan, when worshippers attend prayers at night.