Five people have been injured after being hit by a vehicle on l'Île Oléron yesterday (November 5). The lives of two of those who were in a critical condition are no longer in danger.
The attack happened early in the morning as a local man, 35, drove along the D734 road between the villages of Dolus d’Oléron and Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron.
He rammed five people in separate incidents before stopping outside a bakery, where he set fire to his vehicle and reportedly shouted ‘Allah Akbar’. Gas canisters were later found inside the vehicle.
Police intercepted him with a stun gun. He was taken into custody at the island’s police station, and faces charges of attempted murder.
The motives for the attack have not been officially confirmed.
The island in the Charente-Maritime department has a year-round population of around 22,000, and is known as a popular holiday destination with many second homes.
The two victims initially critically injured are a 69-year old cyclist, and a 22-year old woman named as Emma Vallain, parliamentary assistant to Rassemblement National (RN) deputy Pascal Markowsky.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez visited the island following the attack.
“This individual is known to police for petty crimes. He is not known to intelligence services for radicalisation of any kind,” he said to media outlets.
He was not listed on France’s fiché S register for government surveillance.
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“There will likely be several other people [impacted]; that is, even if they weren't physically harmed, they witnessed the scene and are obviously psychologically disturbed by these events,” he added.
