(MENAFN- Live Mint) Two people are in critical condition while several others have been injured after a man, allegedly a Muslim, rammed a car into a crowd on Ile d'Olero, a French island, as per several media reports.

The driver, during his arrest, reportedly said, "Allahu Akbar," the public prosecutor of the city of La Rochelle, Arnaud Laraize, told French publication Le Figaro.

"At the time of his arrest, [the man] shouted Allah Akbar. However, the motive is not confirmed and the investigation will have to determine it," the public prosecutor was quoted as saying.

Also Read | Louvre heist: France arrests five new suspects

The public prosecutor has also revealed that the anti-terrorism prosecutors office, at this stage, is not involved in the case.

The suspect is a 35-year-old man who resides in a small fishing village, La Cotinière (Charente-Maritime), which is 4 kilometres away from the commune of Saint-Pierre-d'Oléron.

The suspect reportedly tried to burn his vehicle with some gas cylinders which were in it, but Mr Laraize, the public prosecutor, has said that this information has not yet been verified.

The suspect is“known for his numerous transgressions, notably due to his regular consumption of drugs and alcohol," the mayor of the island told French news outlet Le Parisien.

The outlet also revealed that investigators are trying to determine whether the individual was mentally disturbed.

Most of those who were injured in the attack were pedestrians and cyclists. It took place on Wednesday at around 8:45 am local time.

The victims were airlifted to the University Hospital of Poitiers. A psychological support team has also been set up in the island for those affected by the attack, as per local media.

France's interior minister, Laurent Nunez, said in a post on X, "This morning, a motorist struck several pedestrians and cyclists on his route in Saint Pierre d ́Oléron and Dolus d'Oléron. Two victims are in absolute emergency and 3 other people are injured. The suspect has been taken into custody by the gendarmes. An investigation has been opened."

Also Read | With Sarkozy in prison, France asks: Has the judiciary gone too far?

He also reported that he was heading to the scene at the behest of the French Prime Minister.

Other instances of such attacks in France

This is not the first time that such an attack has taken place in France. There have been several earlier instances of vehicles being rammed into people with the intention of causing injury or death.

August 2025: In August this year, a man drive his car into a crowd standing outside a bar in the town of Evreux. One person died in the incident while five others were injured.

April 2020: In Colombes, two police officials suffered grave injuries after a driver rammed his car into them. The driver, as per the French anti-terrorism prosecutor, had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

June 2017: An armed individual rammed his car into a police convoy on Paris' Champs-Élysées.

December 2014: In a case quite similar to the one on Wednesday, a driver allegedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" and rammed his car into a crowd in Dijon, injuring 13 individuals.

MENAFN05112025007365015876ID1110299080