The suspect reportedly injured five pedestrians and cyclists, and is said to have claimed he “self-radicalized” online
Five people have been injured, two of them seriously, after a man plowed his car into pedestrians and cyclists on the French island of Oleron on Wednesday, local authorities have said. The driver reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he was taken into custody.
The 35-minute rampage took place along roads linking the communes of Dolus-d’Oleron and Saint-Pierre-d’Oleron, the Atlantic island’s main town. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed that five pedestrians and cyclists were struck before the driver was apprehended.
Police subdued the suspect with a stun device after he set his vehicle on fire. Several gas canisters were found inside the car, the La Rochelle prosecutor’s office said, confirming that the man had repeatedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” during his arrest.
French anti-terrorism prosecutors are not taking part in the investigation into alleged attempted murder. According to Le Parisien, the suspect is a 35-year-old from the fishing village of La Cotiniere with a long record of petty crime and drug offenses, but no known links to organized terrorist groups. He allegedly told police that he had “self-radicalized online” about a month ago – a claim investigators are now verifying.
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France has suffered a series of vehicle-ramming attacks in recent years. The deadliest occurred in 2016, when an Islamist extremist drove a truck through crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, killing 86 people and injuring more than 450 before being shot dead by police.
