Overview
- The La Rochelle prosecutor will seek a judicial investigation and a formal indictment alleging premeditated attempted assassinations after a 35‑minute ramming spree injured five people.
- An expert found the suspect’s judgment was altered but not abolished at the time of the acts, and toxicology indicates he was under the influence of cannabis.
- The suspect told investigators he had “followed the orders of Allah” after a recent self-conversion to Islam via social media, with no established links to jihadist networks.
- Investigators recovered a 35 cm knife and a gas canister from the car, which the suspect tried to set on fire; his mobile phone was retrieved but severely damaged.
- Two victims remain seriously injured but no longer face an immediate life-threatening prognosis, and the case remains under local gendarmerie investigation with anti-terror prosecutors staying in observation.