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Dozens of people were injured tonight when a man ploughed his white van into a Christmas market crowd while screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’, or ‘God is Greatest’.

Five people were left seriously hurt when the vehicle drove into the pedestrianised Place Royale area of Nantes in France.

Within seconds of running down as many people as he could, the driver stabbed himself nine times.

It is the third incident of its kind in as many days in the country which have been linked to Islamic terrorism.

The man, who is said to be aged 44 but otherwise unidentified, was tonight under armed guard in the same hospital as many of his victims.

‘His white van got into the Nantes market at around 7pm,’ said a local police source. ‘It was driven into a number of people before coming to a halt.

‘Many were hit, with five requiring particular attention. The attacker was stabbed, but was not killed, despite very serious injuries of his own.

(Image: GEORGES GOBET/AFP/Getty Images)

‘The market was quickly cordoned off as emergency service workers arrived at the scene to take the injured to hospital.’

It follows 13 people being injured after a known psychiatric patient drove into pedestrians shouting 'God is greatest' in Arabic in the eastern city of Dijon on Saturday.

Two of those hit by the driver were seriously injured before the 40-year-old was arrested by police at the scene.

The unnamed man was known to police, and may have carried out a copycat attack based on terrorist related incidents in his home country, and in Australia.

Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said the ‘psychiatric patient’ was also heard to say ‘For the Children of Palestine’, referring to deaths of more than 500 youngsters during the Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip over the summer.

It follows security being stepped up at police and fire stations across France after a knife-wielding French convert to Islam was shot dead after attacking three police officers on Saturday.

Bertrand Nzohabonayo was shot dead after entering a police station in the central town of Joue-les-Tours armed with a knife, seriously wounding two officers, including slashing one in the face.

Nzohabonayo, who had posted an IS flag on his Facebook account, was a French national born in Burundi in 1994.

(Image: GEORGES GOBET/AFP/Getty Images)

He was also heard shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ during the assault, as local prosecutor Jean-Luc Beck said investigators would seek to determine whether ‘he acted alone or if he acted on orders.’

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve visited the scene of the attack on Saturday, saying he had ordered ‘security measures to be stepped up’ for all officers.

Nzohabonayo had previously committed petty criminal offences but was not on a domestic intelligence watch-list.

His brother was being watched, however, and had considered going to fight in Syria.

Governments around the world have been braced for further ‘lone wolf’ attacks by individuals who show their support for IS, which now controls huge parts of Syria and Iraq.

Last week in Sydney, Australia, Man Haron Monis , an Iranian-born Islamist with a history of extremism and violence entered a cafe and held people hostage for 16 hours.Three people, including the attacker, died in an assault by special forces.

The main suspect in the murders of four people at Brussels’ Jewish Museum in May, is Mehdi Nemmouche, a Frenchman who spent more than a year fighting with extremists in Syria.

Authorities in France believe around 1,200 French nationals are involved in jihadist networks in Iraq and Syria.