Paris, Jun 21 (IANS): A man who rammed a car into a police van in Paris had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) and stored weapons at his home.

Identified as Adam Djaziri, the 31-year-old swore he was a follower of the IS in a letter to his brother-in-law, Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

In a raid on the man's home at Essonne here, police discovered that he had stored weapons, the state-run Franceinfo radio said.

On Monday afternoon, a vehicle crashed into a police van in the Champs Elysees avenue near the Presidential Palace before it caught fire.

The man, who died in the attack, was also carrying in his car an assault rifle, two pistols, ammunition and two gas cylinders.

He was on intelligences services' watch list over links with radical Islamist movement.

On April 20, a police officer was killed on the Champs-Elysees in a shooting carried out by a man who had sworn loyalty to the Islamic State terror group.

France remains under a state of emergency following several terror attacks.