Vehicular attack in Caen: two dead and ten injured in front of railway station
A 26-year-old man deliberately drove his vehicle into pedestrians in front of Caen railway station on 26 August, killing two people and injuring ten others. The suspect, born in Russia, was arrested in Ouistreham.
Vehicular attack in front of Caen railway station: two people killed, suspect arrested
A man deliberately struck a group of pedestrians with his vehicle in front of Caen railway station on the evening of Wednesday, 26 August 2026, killing two people and injuring around ten others, according to RFI. A 26-year-old suspect was arrested several hours after the incident.
The attack occurred around 22:15, opposite the station, near a bar. "A car deliberately drove into pedestrians who were on the public road in front of the station," declared the prefect of Calvados, David Clavière, who travelled to the scene that evening. He specified the initial toll: one dead, seven people in critical condition and three in moderate condition.
A second victim, who was in cardiac and respiratory arrest, died on Thursday, 27 August just before 6:00 a.m., according to information obtained by AFP from a police source. According to witnesses cited by the same source, the victim was reportedly a young Afghan man aged 18 or 19.
Among the injured, all men according to Bruno Coutanceau, deputy for security at Caen town hall, the youngest is aged 17 and the oldest in his forties.
Suspect born in Russia, known for road traffic offences
After striking the pedestrians, the driver fled before being intercepted in Ouistreham, approximately twenty kilometres from Caen. Prefect Clavière stated that the suspect, "born in Russia", is not known to intelligence services, but appears in police files "solely for road traffic offences". The deputy prosecutor of Caen specified that the man is 26 years old.
The incident occurred following a fight, according to a police source.
Investigation for murder, terrorist motive ruled out at this stage
"An investigation has been opened for murder and wilful violence with a weapon," detailed the deputy prosecutor of Caen, present at the scene. The case has been handed over to the organised and specialist crime division of Calvados.
"For the moment we are not, in principle, in the context of a terrorist motive, but investigations are only beginning," he added, without providing further details on the identity of the victims.
The suspect was in police custody at the time of the prosecutor's initial statements. At the scene, forensic police were carrying out examinations on the bus lanes in front of the station, near hotels and fast-food outlets, observed an AFP journalist. Surveillance camera footage was also being analysed as part of the investigation.
Source: RFI