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Driver hits several people on French holiday island of Ile d'Oleron

Two people are in intensive care and several others injured after the motorist struck pedestrians and cyclists, French interior minister Laurent Nunez said.

Wednesday 5 November 2025 13:29, UK

A French officer inspects the burnt car used by the driver. Pic: Reuters
Image: A French officer inspects the burnt car used by the driver. Pic: Reuters
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A driver has knocked down several people on the French island of Ile d'Oleron.

Two people are in intensive care following the incident and a man has been arrested, French interior minister Laurent Nunez said.

Several others were injured after the motorist struck pedestrians and cyclists, he added.

Thibault Brechkoff, the mayor of Dolus-d'Oleron, told BFMTV the suspect shouted "Allahu Akbar" (Arabic for God is Greatest) when he was detained.

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Arnaud Laraize, the public prosecutor in La Rochelle, told the Sud Ouest newspaper the 35-year-old suspect "resisted arrest" and was "subdued using a stun gun".

He said the suspect was known for minor offences such as theft, adding he was not on a list of people considered a threat to national security.

Pic: Reuters
Image: Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Image: Pic: Reuters

Pedestrians and cyclists were hit on a road between Dolus d'Oleron and Saint-Pierre d'Oleron, he added.

Police were alerted, with the first calls made at around 9am.

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The suspect is a French national from La Cotiniere, a small fishing village on the west coast of Ile d'Oleron, according to French media reports.

The motive for the attack remains unclear and the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office is not involved.

Mr Nunez said in a post on X that he was heading to the scene at the request of Sebastien Lecornu, the French prime minister.

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