A driver screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’ ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians on a French holiday island this morning, leaving at least ten people injured.
The car veered towards walkers and cyclists at about 8.45am today as the 35-year-old attacker attempted to hit ‘everyone he encountered’ on the island of Oléron off the West coast of France, officials say.
After the ramming, he tried to set fire to his vehicle, which contained gas cylinders, before he was tasered by police and arrested.
At least ten are injured, with four of them fighting for their lives, including an assistant to MP Pascal Markowsky of the hard-right National Rally party. French terror police and President Emmanuel Macron, who is on his way to Brazil, are monitoring the situation.
The horrific attack unfolded between the villages of Dolus-d’Oléron and Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron. The idyllic island is a top holiday destination for French and international tourists.
Witnesses described horrific scenes with one woman seen lying motionless on the ground.
According to officials, the driver deliberately steered his vehicle toward pedestrians and a cyclist. A source said he hit victims across several miles as he drove along. The injured are said to be between the ages of 21 and 69 and are from the area.
Thibault Brechkoff, the mayor of Dolus-d’Oleron, told BFMTV that the man shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’, meaning God is the Greatest in Arabic, during his arrest. He also said the man tried to hit ‘everyone he could encounter’
Police are also examining whether the suspect may have been suffering from mental health problems. French media have indicated that at this stage, the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office is not involved in the investigation. It has instead said it is monitoring developments.
Police are said to have taken the suspect to the Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron police station for questioning. He is expected to be transferred to a more secure gendarmerie on the mainland.
Local reports say the man is a French national and lives in a mobile home in La Cotiniere, a village on the west coast of the Île d’Oléron.
The mayor of Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, Christophe Sueur, told Le Parisien: ‘He is known for his numerous transgressions, notably due to his regular drug and alcohol use.’ It has been claimed that the man was known for offences such as theft and driving while intoxicated.
He is said to have lived on the island ‘for a long time’ and has many family members there.
Pascal Markowsky, the National Rally MP for Charente-Maritime, has confirmed that one of his aides – named as Emma, 21 – was seriously injured during the attack. She suffered multiple fractures and a head injury and was airlifted to a hospital in Poitiers.
Markowsky told BFMTV that she ‘lost consciousness instantly’ after being struck. She regained consciousness and gave her name to responders before being hospitalised, he said.
Isabelle Romain, a local, who witnessed the harrowing incident, said she saw a ‘woman lying on her stomach, who was no longer moving and was in an unnatural position.’ She added: ‘I deduced that she was dead.’
She said the victim, who is from ‘a very well-known family’ later moved and was airlifted to the hospital.
Reports say the man is not listed in the country’s database used to monitor individuals suspected of radicalisation.
Although the suspect’s motives remain unclear, police and prosecutors are probing the cause. The public prosecutor of Le Rochelle, Arnaud Laraize, confirmed that an investigation for attempted murder has been opened.
A resident is reported to have said: ‘An individual in a vehicle is having fun hitting people in his path, and right here in my window, a pedestrian was hit and injured in Saint Pierre d’Oléron.’
According to traffic information from Info Traffic 17, a first incident, which involved a vehicle and a pedestrian, occurred near the Intermarché supermarket in Dolus-d’Oléron.
A second, involving a pedestrian, happened on Route du Treuil, in the same town. The driver is said to have hit a cyclist.
A shopkeeper said she kept her customers in place for two hours as a precaution when she noticed ‘very strong police presence’ around 15 minutes after the attacks.
On X, the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez wrote: ‘This morning, a driver struck several pedestrians and cyclists in Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron and Dolus-d’Oléron.
‘Two victims are in critical condition and three others were injured. The driver was apprehended by the police. An investigation is underway. At the request of the Prime Minister, I am going there.’
The minister, who has been in communication with Macron via telephone, is expected to arrive on the scene at 2pm local time. A psychological unit has been set up at Château d’Oléron.
The president of the French National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, wrote on X: ‘I want to send all my thoughts to the people injured this morning on the island of Oléron, victims of an attack of unprecedented violence.
‘I also wish to express my solidarity with MP Pascal Markowsky and his parliamentary team, one of whose members is seriously injured.’ She also thanked the police and emergency responders who worked at the scene.
The public prosecutor of La Rochelle is expected to give an address at 5pm.
