France automobile attacker ‘had gasoline cylinders in car and tried to hit everybody in sight’

Gas cylinders were reportedly found inside the vehicle of the France car attacker who allegedly “tried to hit everyone in sight”. Ten people are believed to have been injured in the horror incident on Wednesday morning, with four in a serious or critical condition.

The suspect, a French national thought to be 35, is reported to have tried to set fire to the vehicle before being taken into custody. Gas cylinders were found in his car with only one partially catching fire, according to local media.

The incident happened at Oléron, an island in France. The suspect, with no prior criminal record, was arrested and taken into custody after allegedly screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’ during the incident. Several victims were airlifted to the University Hospital of Poitiers.

One of the victims is believed to be the local parliamentary assistant of Pascal Markowsky, National Rally MP for Charente-Maritime. According to him, she is one of the most seriously injured having suffered multiple fractures and a head injury. An attempted murder investigation has now been launched, while there is currently no suggestion the attack was terror related. Investigators are said to be exploring the possibility that the driver suffered from psychiatric disorders.

At around 9.30am, the vehicle struck several people between two villages on the Île d’Oléron, Dolus-d’Oléron and Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron. Ten people, pedestrians and cyclists, were seriously injured. Several were taken to the hospital in critical condition, according to Le Parisien.

The suspect tried to set fire to the vehicle before being taken into custody. Gas cylinders were found in his car with only one reportedly partially catching fire.

According to information from Le Parisien, the suspect is a 35-year-old French national who lives alone in a mobile home in La Cotinière, a village on the west coast of the Île d’Oléron. He is not listed in the file of reports for the prevention of radicalization leading to terrorism (FSPRT). However, he claims to have self-radicalised online, according to multiple sources.

The mayor of Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, Christophe Sueur, told Le Parisien: “He is known for his numerous transgressions, notably due to his regular drug and alcohol use.”

Isabelle Romain, a local who witnessed the incident, claimed she she saw a “woman lying on her stomach, who was no longer moving and was in an unnatural position”. She added: “I deduced that she was dead.” She said the victim, who is from “a very well-known family” was later seen moving and was airlifted to the hospital, reports MailOnline.

The first incident is said to have involved a vehicle and a pedestrian near the Intermarché supermarket in Dolus-d’Oléron, with the second involving a pedestrian occurring on Route du Treuil in the same town. The driver is then alleged to have struck a cyclist on Rue de la Cure in Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, and then a second cyclist on Rue des Godillons. Another accident also occurred on Route d’Arceau, in the same town.

In a message posted on X, the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, said he would go to the scene today “at the request of the Prime Minister”.

More as we have it.