Vehicle ploughs into pedestrians in Caen: two dead, Russian suspect of Chechen origin arrested
A 26-year-old man deliberately struck a group of pedestrians near Caen railway station on Wednesday evening, killing two people and injuring nine others. The suspect, a Russian national, was arrested in Ouistreham.
Vehicle attack in Caen: two dead following deliberate act near station
A 26-year-old man deliberately drove his vehicle into a group of pedestrians on Wednesday evening outside Caen railway station, killing two people and injuring nine, according to Le Temps. The suspect, a Russian national of Chechen origin, was arrested in Ouistreham, about twenty kilometres from the scene.
At approximately 22:15, the car entered a bus lane before striking people waiting at a bus shelter opposite the station. Calvados prefect David Clavière, present at the scene, confirmed that the vehicle had "deliberately ploughed into pedestrians who were on the public highway".
Death toll rises in early hours
On Wednesday evening, prefect Clavière reported one dead, seven injured in critical condition and three in serious condition. During the night, a second victim, who had been in a coma and in cardiorespiratory arrest, died, according to a police source confirmed by Caen prefecture. Among the injured, the youngest is 17 years old and the oldest in his forties; all are men, according to Bruno Coutanceau, assistant for security at Caen town hall. The man who died on Wednesday evening is a 35-year-old Afghan, according to a police source. The other injured are of several different nationalities.
A brawl at the origin of events
According to a police source, events began with a brawl at the railway station square. The suspect was allegedly attacked by several individuals. He then returned at the wheel of his vehicle and drove at his alleged attackers, striking in the process other people who had no connection with the altercation.
The Caen public prosecutor's office stated that there was no "apparent" terrorist motive, whilst specifying that "investigations are only beginning". The suspect "is not known to intelligence services", the prefect had emphasised on Wednesday evening.
Suspect in custody, investigation opened for murder
After fleeing the scene, the driver was arrested in Ouistreham and placed in custody. During questioning, he "reported being a victim of violence on the station forecourt prior to the incident", according to a statement from Caen Republic Prosecutor Joël Garrigue. He added that these statements would "obviously be thoroughly verified". The man was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident and has no previous criminal convictions. He is in regular legal status in the country.
An investigation was opened "on the charge of murder and deliberate violence with a weapon" and entrusted to the Calvados division for organised and specialised crime, the Caen deputy prosecutor specified.
Source: Le Temps