France: Driver ‘Shouting Allahu Akbar’ Ploughs Into Crowd

A driver “shouting Allahu Akbar” has ploughed his car into a crowd of pedestrians on a French holiday island.

The male driver rammed into pedestrians and cyclists on Ile d’Oléron, off the Atlantic Coast, on Wednesday morning shortly before 9am local time, Laurent Nunez, France’s interior minister, said.

Five people were hit during the “35-minute rampage”, said Mr Nunez.

Two were seriously injured, including a 22-year-old woman suffering multiple trauma injuries, and three others sustained minor injuries, he added.

The suspect, a 35-year-old man from the island, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and an investigation has been opened, Mr Nunez added.

Christophe Sueur, the mayor of Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, where the incident occurred, said the driver was “known” to police.

“He is someone who is known, particularly to the police, for behaviour that is not entirely normal, and for alcohol-related problems,” the mayor told BMTV.

Mr Sueur also revealed that the driver “intentionally set fire to his vehicle” after ramming pedestrians and cyclists before being stopped by police.

The country’s anti-terrorism prosecutor has not been included in the investigation at this stage.

The driver’s rampage, which began at around 8.45am on Wednesday, took place between the towns of Dolus-d’Oléron and Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron.

According to local reports, the driver deliberately steered his car toward pedestrians and cyclists along a road joining two towns on the scenic island off the city of La Rochelle.

At the time of his arrest, the suspect “shouted Allah Akbar”, Arnaud Laraize, public prosecutor in La Rochelle, said.

“However, the motive has not been confirmed and the investigation will have to determine this,” he continued.

Mr Laraize added that the suspect resisted arrest and was “subdued with a stun gun”.

Shortly afterwards, police found gas cylinders inside the suspect’s car, which had only partially caught fire, Le Parisien reported.

The victims, aged between 22 and 67, are from Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron and Dolus-d’Oléron. They were airlifted to the University Hospital of Poitiers.

The driver was taken into custody at the Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron police station. Police are investigating whether the man was suffering from mental health issues.

Thibault Brechkoff, the mayor of Dolus-d’Oléron, praised the public’s rapid response to the incident.

“Everyone sprang into action and went into lockdown... everyone did their duty,” he told reporters.

A local wine merchant told BMFTV she hid customers inside her wine cellar for two hours when she noticed the “very strong police presence” outside her shop at around 9am.

According to French media, the man is a French national in his thirties and lives in La Cotiniere, a village on the west coast of the island of Oleron.

He is not listed in the country’s database used to monitor potentially radicalised individuals.

Mr Nunez is expected to visit the French island at the request of Sebastien Lecornu, the prime minister.

Emmanuel Macron, the president, is monitoring the situation as he travels to Brazil for the Cop30 climate summit, sources told BFMTV.