Another car plowed into a group of pedestrians yesterday, making it the third attack in three days in three different locations.  French authorities are insisting that the attacks are not connected and that they are not terrorist attacks.

As for the former, that may be true in the literal sense, but there is little doubt that they have been inspired either by Palestinians, who rammed Israeli civilians in Jeruslem in several incidents in recent weeks, or the Islamic State, whose propaganda has urged attacks by individuals on civilians.

The latter contention is ludicrous.

The Chron:

France's government on Tuesday denied any links between three attacks in as many days, including two nearly identical rampages by drivers who plowed into holiday crowds, but announced plans to further raise security in public spaces.

The prime minister said the attacks were unrelated to terrorism. Lamenting "the ravages of propaganda on fragile minds," he urged France to remain calm and avoid overreacting to isolated incidents.

In the western city of Nantes late Monday, a van burst into a Christmas market, injuring 10 people before the driver began stabbing himself. The night before, in the eastern city of Dijon, a driver shouting 'God is great' in Arabic ran down several crowds, injuring 13 people before coming to a stop.

And on Saturday, an attacker knifed three police before he was shot to death by one of the officers. The man's brother was arrested the same day in Burundi, their homeland. French counterterrorism investigators were called in to the case.

"These three events have no link," French President Francois Hollande said.

The drivers in the attacks in Nantes and Dijon both had long histories of mental illness, officials said.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls said there were no ties with terrorism in the attacks, but nonetheless announced that security would be increased in public spaces during the holidays.

"Just because someone takes an image pervasive in society at a given moment and wants to take part in a kind of violence seen elsewhere, doesn't mean the person is motivated by politics or religion," said Jean-Marie Le Guen, another top official.

In Nantes, bystanders ran toward the attacker as he was stabbing himself, said Mohammed Bader Ghegate, one of the witnesses who ended up at the man's side. Contrary to media reports, Ghegate said the attacker did not say 'God is great' in Arabic.

Mentally unstable or not, how can French authorities deny that these are terrorist attacks?  The attacks are inspired by other terrorists and are based on tenets of Islam.  The state of mind of the attackers is irrelevant.  They are motivated to kill not by their mental illness, but by their adherence to Islam.

This rash of lone-wolf attacks will probably continue.  There's no way to create security that would stop the random nature of the attacks.  The French people are in for an uncomfortable time.