A car attack on the French island of Oleron has left five people injured, two of them seriously, after a driver plowed his vehicle into pedestrians and cyclists. The incident occurred on Wednesday along roads linking the communes of Dolus-d’Oleron and Saint-Pierre-d’Oleron, the island’s main town. According to local authorities, the 35-minute rampage ended with the driver’s arrest, during which he allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar.”
The suspect, a 35-year-old man from the fishing village of La Cotiniere, was subdued by police using a stun device after he set his vehicle on fire. Several gas canisters were found inside the car, and the La Rochelle prosecutor’s office confirmed that the man had repeatedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” during his arrest. The driver reportedly has a long record of petty crime and drug offenses, but no known links to organized terrorist groups.
French authorities have reported that the suspect claimed to have “self-radicalized online” about a month ago, a claim that investigators are currently verifying. The Interior Minister, Laurent Nunez, confirmed that five pedestrians and cyclists were struck before the driver was apprehended. The incident is being investigated as alleged attempted murder, but French anti-terrorism prosecutors are not currently involved.
This attack is the latest in a series of vehicle-ramming incidents in France in recent years. In 2016, an Islamist extremist drove a truck through crowds celebrating Bastille Day in Nice, killing 86 people and injuring over 450. The incident on Oleron island serves as a reminder of the ongoing threat of such attacks and the need for continued vigilance.
The investigation into the Oleron attack is ongoing, with authorities working to determine the suspect’s motives and any potential connections to extremist groups. As the situation continues to unfold, the international community is watching closely, aware of the potential implications of such incidents. With the suspect in custody, the focus now shifts to understanding the circumstances surrounding the attack and preventing similar incidents in the future.