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, Belgium’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office said.
French President Francois Hollande called the incident “an attempted terrorist attack.”
“At different times, pedestrians were put at risk. When soldiers attempted to intercept the vehicle, it fled,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Authorities eventually managed to stop the French driver and detain him. Weapons were found inside the vehicle, officials said.
“He was looking to kill people and to cause something dramatic,” Hollande said in a statement.
The incident comes one day after an attack in London — which started with a driver plowing into people with a vehicle — killed three people.