French police arrested a heavily-armed man walking through the center of Cannes and stepped up security in public spaces on Tuesday following a wave of violent attacks. Police in the southern resort city confirmed to NBC News that a man carrying two shotguns was detained and that the incident was not related to terrorism. No further details were available.
The arrest came hours after a driver plowed a van into a crowded Christmas market in Nantes, injuring more than 10 people before stabbing himself, according to Reuters. A day earlier, a driver ran down 13 pedestrians while shouting "Allahu Akbar" in the city of Dijon and on Saturday French police shot dead a man who stabbed three officers in a police station while shouting "Allahu Akbar" — Arabic for "God is great."
France's Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, urged vigilance in the wake of recent attacks and ordered the deployment of 200 to 300 extra soldiers to popular public spots including Paris' Champs-Elysee, according to Reuters. "What we are seeing with events in Dijon and Nantes is that they are creating copy-cat reactions," Valls told a press conference Tuesday.
IN-DEPTH
- No Terror Link for Driver Who Hit 13 Pedestrians in Dijon
- French Cops Shoot Dead Knife-Wielding Man in Police Station
— Cassandra Vinograd
Reuters contributed to this report