Suspected Terror Ramming Injures Ten on French Resort Island

A major vehicle-ramming incident shook the French Atlantic island of Oléron on Wednesday morning, leaving ten people injured, including four of them in critical condition, after a driver deliberately struck pedestrians and cyclists along a busy coastal road.

The attack occurred around 8:45 a.m. local time between the towns of Dolus-d’Oléron and Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, a popular tourist route on the island known for its seaside resorts and cycling paths. Witnesses reported that the driver accelerated into groups of people while shouting “Allahu Akbar,” prompting immediate fears of a terror attack.

Local police said the driver was subdued within minutes after attempting to ignite his vehicle using gas cylinders. Officers used a taser to overpower him as flames partially engulfed the car. “He did not surrender. He was neutralized using an electric pulse weapon,” prosecutor Mr. Laraize told local media.

French outlet Le Parisien reported that the suspect intentionally targeted all ten victims, whose ages range from 22 to 67. One of the critically injured is reportedly a parliamentary aide for a lawmaker from Marine Le Pen’s right-wing National Rally party. The driver, described as a 35-year-old man, is known to authorities for previous offenses, including drunk driving and drug use, but he is not listed on France’s watchlist of radicalized individuals.

Laurent Nunez, France’s Interior Minister, confirmed that an investigation has been opened and said he was traveling to the scene “at the request of the prime minister.” Nunez wrote on social media that the attacks appeared to have occurred “along a route between Saint-Pierre and Dolus,” two villages about four miles apart.

Despite the suspect’s shouted words, French prosecutors have not yet classified the attack as terrorism, saying the motive “remains to be determined.” According to the prosecutor’s office, the case has not been transferred to the national anti-terror unit, though the possibility remains under review.

Oléron Mayor Grégory Gendre said the incident unfolded in “several locations along the road,” suggesting the driver carried out multiple deliberate strikes before his car caught fire. Emergency services rushed to the scene as firefighters extinguished the fire and evacuated the wounded to hospitals in La Rochelle and Rochefort.