A 35-year-old man rammed his car into pedestrians and cyclists on the French Atlantic island of Oléron on Wednesday, November 5, wounding 10 people, four of whom were seriously wounded, a prosecutor said.
An Oléron resident known for common law crimes, the driver "deliberately hit several pedestrians and cyclists" along a main road on the scenic island, located off the coast of the western French city of La Rochelle, Prosecutor Arnaud Laraize said.
Police have arrested the man and are investigating him for alleged "attempted murder," Laraize added. When he was arrested, the driver cried "God is the greatest" in Arabic, an expression that is often used by Islamist extremists, the prosecutor said, but added that the man's motive was not immediately clear.
The prosecutor said the ramming occurred on a road between the towns of Dolus d'Oléron and Saint-Pierre d'Oléron. The mayor of Dolus d'Oléron has confirmed that the suspect was a resident.
Le Monde with AFP
