France: Two people were killed and 10 others injured after a car crashed into a group of pedestrians near a train station in Caen, northern France, prompting a major emergency response across the Normandy region.
Local prefect David Clavière said the car deliberately rammed into pedestrians opposite the station. Seven of those injured were reported to be in critical condition, while some victims were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Authorities later arrested a 26-year-old man, who was born in Russia, around 20km from Caen in the port town of Ouistreham. The suspect was reportedly not previously known to intelligence services, although police had been aware of him for traffic-related offences.
Caen Mayor Aristide Olivier said investigators were working to establish what led to the incident. Witnesses reportedly said a fight had broken out between two groups shortly before the vehicle struck the pedestrians.
Bruno Coutanceau, a senior security official in Caen, said authorities were not currently treating the incident as terrorism, stressing that the investigation was still in its early stages. All the victims appeared to be men aged between 17 and 40, according to Coutanceau.
The suspect’s vehicle was reportedly tracked through Caen’s CCTV network before he was arrested in Ouistreham. Police subsequently launched an investigation led by detectives from Caen’s Specialised Crime Division.
Emergency services cordoned off the area around the station as police and ambulances responded to the incident. Authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash and the motive behind the driver’s actions.
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