Île d'Oléron: a year after vehicle attack, Jacques speaks out
A year after being struck by a car during a knife attack on 5 November 2025 on the Île d'Oléron, 70-year-old victim Jacques is speaking publicly for the first time about his daily life marked by physical and psychological aftermath.
The November 2025 attack
On 5 November 2025, a 35-year-old resident of Île d'Oléron deliberately struck five pedestrians with his vehicle during an attack lasting 35 minutes, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. According to BFM TV, the driver told investigators he had "followed the orders of Allah", although no link has been established with any terrorist organisations.
Jacques, a 70-year-old retiree at the time, was cycling to fetch his daily baguette when he was struck by the vehicle. The impact left him gravely wounded and forced him to spend several months in hospital. The main suspect was charged with seven attempted murders and remains in custody pending trial.
Aftermath one year on
A year after the events, Jacques's body and mind remain marked by the shock. The former carpenter told Figaro Magazine that his nights are disturbed by an intense burning sensation in his legs, which he compares to "a blowtorch". He continues to be followed by a psychiatrist to assist his psychological recovery.
Despite the difficulties, Jacques is supported by his wife Monique in facing this ordeal. "I am not asking for a big fuss to be made, but that this should not be swept under the carpet," he told Figaro Magazine.
Speaking out
Maître Lionel Béthune de Moro, the family's lawyer, emphasises that the silence surrounding this case a year later remains problematic. "The Île d'Oléron attack already showed that random death and violence can strike anywhere, including a peaceful place like here," he noted to Figaro Magazine. He denounces "the relative indifference" with which this attack was treated, recalling that this event occurred shortly after the racist attack in the Yvelines that cost the life of Pengo Bossio Wangi, 26 years old.
Source: BFM TV