Driver Hits Pedestrians on France’s Oléron Island, Injuring 10 — Attempted-Murder Probe Underway

Overview

• Ten people were injured, including four in serious condition, after a car struck pedestrians and cyclists near Dolus-d’Oléron and Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron.
• The 35-year-old suspect, a local resident from La Cotinière, was arrested at the scene and remains in custody.
• Authorities say the man reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” during his arrest, but the suspect is not listed in radicalization databases and motive remains undetermined.
• Investigators found gas canisters in the vehicle and say the driver tried to set the car on fire after the rammings.
• The La Rochelle prosecutor’s office leads the case with the Poitiers research section, the anti-terrorism office has not taken over, and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez is traveling to the island as President Emmanuel Macron monitors the response.