NOAKCHOTT (Reuters) - Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz returned home on Saturday after recovering in France from what the government said was an accidental shooting at a military checkpoint last month.

Abdel Aziz, an ally of the West in its fight against al Qaeda in Africa, flew to Paris on October 14 after soldiers opened fire on his unescorted car as he returned to the capital Noakchott from his country residence.

He made no statement on his arrival at the airport where thousands of people had gathered to greet him. He traveled into Nouakchott in the back of a roofless car, shaking hands and waving at the crowds that lined the road.

Many in the coup-prone country had questioned the official version of the shooting, and his delay in returning home after being discharged from hospital last month had also raised questions about who was running the country in his absence.

(Reporting by Laurent Prieur; writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Myra MacDonald)