BORDEAUX: A 35-year-old man on Wednesday rammed his car into pedestrians and cyclists on the French Atlantic island of Oleron, wounding 10 people, including four seriously, a prosecutor said.

The Oleron resident “deliberately hit several pedestrians and cyclists” along a main road on the scenic island off the western city of La Rochelle, prosecutor Arnaud Laraize said. When he was arrested, he cried in Arabic, the magistrate said, an expression that is often used by extremists.

Police have arrested the man and are investigating him for alleged “attempted murder”, but the man’s motive was not immediately clear, Laraize added.

A source following the case earlier said the man had “deliberately hit” the victims, across several kilometres.

The prosecutor said the ramming occurred on a road joining the towns of Dolus d’Oleron and Saint-Pierre d’Oleron. The mayor of Dolus d’Oleron confirmed the suspect was a resident.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2025