Frenchman crashes into a crowd of people Eyewitness: "I thought the woman was dead"

On Wednesday morning, a car driver deliberately hit several pedestrians and cyclists on the Île d'Oléron between Dolus-d'Oléron and Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron in France. Ten people were injured, five of them seriously. The police have launched an investigation.

On Wednesday morning on the Île d'Oléron (Charente-Maritime, France), a driver deliberately drove into several pedestrians and cyclists between the villages of Dolus-d'Oléron and Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron. According to the gendarmerie, ten people were injured, five of them seriously, two of whom are in a critical condition, as reported by "Le Parisien". The suspected perpetrator was arrested.

Eyewitnesses reported that the man hit several people with his vehicle shortly after 8.45 am. Only a few minutes after the crime, emergency services managed to arrest the driver without resistance - apparently while he was trying to set his car on fire.

According to "Le Parisien", the man shouted "Allahu Akbar" before committing the crime. This statement was confirmed by the public prosecutor's office shortly after the incident. The man is a French citizen. It was also reported that the arrest was not easy, according to media reports. "He resisted arrest and had to be subdued with a stun gun," said a spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office.

Eyewitness describes incident

An eyewitness later described on the French news channel BFMTV what happened at the scene of the crime in the municipality of Dolus-d'Oléron: "I was on my way to go hiking when it happened," she said. Then she discovered a woman lying motionless on the ground, in an unnatural position. "I thought she was dead," says Romain in shock.

She raised the alarm and called the emergency services - but the rescue workers were already busy with other seriously injured people. Suddenly the victim moved: "That's when we realized she was still alive." The woman was flown to hospital by helicopter. According to media reports, she comes from a well-known family on the island.

Support from politicians

The gendarmerie made it clear that the information is currently provisional - in particular, the motive and the exact sequence of events must now be clarified in a formal investigation. Further information on the number of victims, backgrounds and possible motives is expected to follow from the investigating authorities in the coming hours.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced on the short message service X that he would travel to the scene on Wednesday; an investigation had been initiated. According to media reports, the detainee is a French citizen who is not listed in the FSPRT (Prevention of Radicalization and Terrorism) file.