'Don't panic', Hollande urges after brutal France attacks

President Francois Hollande on Dec. 22 urged the French not to panic as authorities probed the motives and profiles of two men who committed brutal weekend attacks while reportedly shouting "Allahu Akbar".
      
The country is reeling from the violence, which saw a man killed Saturday when he assaulted police officers in the central town of Joue-les-Tours and a driver plough into pedestrians Sunday in Dijon in the east, leaving 13 injured in a scene one witness described as "apocalyptic."       

Both men reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greater") -- an Islamic phrase that has previously been used by extremists when waging violent attacks -- prompting speculation the assaults were motivated by radical Islam.
      
But Hollande told a weekly cabinet meeting that people should not panic, calling on authorities to exercise "utmost vigilance".
      
Government spokesman Stephane Le Foll stressed that there was no link between the two incidents, warning against "lumping them together."       

In Saturday's attack, Bertrand Nzohabonayo, a French convert to Islam who was born in Burundi, was shot dead after entering a police station in Joue-les-Tours armed with a knife, seriously wounding two officers -- slashing one in the face -- and hurting another.
      
The assault prompted the government to step up security at police and fire stations nationwide.
      
Nzohabonayo had previously committed petty offences but was not on a domestic intelligence watch-list although his brother Brice is known for his radical views and once pondered going to Syria.
      
Brice was arrested in Burundi soon after the Saturday incident, intelligence services there said Monday.
      
"He has been...