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.

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.

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.

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.