Story highlights Riot gun was among cache of weapons found in driver's car, prosecutor's office says

French President: The driver "was looking to kill people and to cause something dramatic"

(CNN) Belgian police intercepted a car that was speeding toward a busy shopping area and refused to stop, authorities said Thursday.

The car, registered in France, was driving "at a very high speed" in central Antwerp, the Belgian federal prosecutor's office said.

French President Francois Hollande called the incident "an attempted terrorist attack."

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"At different times, pedestrians were put at risk," the prosecutor's office said. "When soldiers attempted to intercept the vehicle, it fled."

Authorities eventually managed to stop the 39-year-old French driver and detained him.