- The 40-year-old man is a known psychiatric patient in French city of Dijon
- Ploughed his car into crowds of pedestrians at Place du President Wilson
- Was reportedly heard shouting 'For the children of Palestine' in Arabic
- French authorities said the unidentified man 'may face terrorism charges'
- Comes days after a knife-yielding man attacked French police station
- Attack may have been inspired by recent Sydney Siege, authorities said
Eleven
people have been injured after a known psychiatric patient drove into
pedestrians while allegedly shouting 'God is greatest' in Arabic in a
French city.
Two
of those hit by the driver, who was believed to be drunk, were in a
‘very serious’ condition in the city of Dijon after being struck shortly
after 8pm.
The 40-year-old was arrested by police at the scene and may face terrorism charges, authorities said last night.
Eleven people
were injured in Dijon when a psychiatric patient ploughed his car into a
crowd of pedestrians. The 40-year-old, known to police in the area, was
arrested at the scene
‘He
ran over as many people as he could in a Renault Clio, and many are
suffering with very serious head injuries,’ said a police source at the
scene.
Pictures
showed the injured lying in the road around Place Wilson (Wilson
Square), as emergency vehicles arrived to take them to local hospitals.
The
man is known to police, and may have carried out a copycat attack based
on terrorist related incidents in his home country, and in Australia.
Interior
Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet confirmed that the man was a
‘psychiatric patient’ and used expressions including ‘Allahu Akbar’, or
‘God is Great’.
He
was also heard to say ‘For the Children of Palestine’, referring to
deaths of more than 500 youngsters during the Israeli military campaign
in the Gaza Strip over the summer.
‘According
to our information he was acting alone,’ said Mr Brandet. ‘He was
arrested in the centre of the city, and was immediately placed in
custody.’
He
said the man, who has not yet been identified, ‘may face terrorist
charges, but that will be a decision for the justice system.’
Local reports claim the man is thought to have been drunk when he launched the attack on the group of pedestrians
Investigators survey the scene at
Place du President Wilson in Dijon. French authorities said the man, a
known psychiatric patient in the area, may face terrorism charges
The square in Dijon (pictured was cordoned off by police following the incident at around 8pm on Sunday
The
driver was thought to be heading for a police station in Dijon, but
only got as far as surrounding streets before his car was stopped.
It
follows security being stepped up at police and fire stations across
France after a knife-wielding French convert to Islam was shot dead
after attacking three police officers on Saturday.
Bertrand
Nzohabonayo was shot dead after entering a police station in the
central town of Joue-les-Tours armed with a knife, seriously wounding
two officers, including slashing one in the face.
Nzohabonayo, who had posted an IS flag on his Facebook account, was a French national born in Burundi in 1994.
He
was also heard shouting ‘Allahu Akbar’ during the assault, as local
prosecutor Jean-Luc Beck said investigators would seek to determine
whether ‘he acted alone or if he acted on orders.’
Interior
Minister Bernard Cazeneuve visited the scene of the attack on Saturday,
saying he had ordered ‘security measures to be stepped up’ for all
officers.
Nzohabonayo had previously committed petty criminal offences but was not on a domestic intelligence watch-list.
His brother was being watched, however, and had considered going to fight in Syria.
Governments
around the world have been braced for further ‘lone wolf’ attacks by
individuals who show their support for IS, which now controls huge parts
of Syria and Iraq.
Last
week in Sydney, Australia, Man Haron Monis , an Iranian-born Islamist
with a history of extremism and violence entered a cafe and held people
hostage for 16 hours.
Three people, including the attacker, died in an assault by special forces.
The
main suspect in the murders of four people at Brussels’ Jewish Museum
in May, is Mehdi Nemmouche, a Frenchman who spent more than a year
fighting with extremists in Syria.
Authorities in France believe around 1,200 French nationals are involved in jihadist networks in Iraq and Syria.
The attack comes days after Bertrand
Nzohabonayo was shot dead after entering a French police station with a
knife and injuring two officers
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve
said security had been 'stepped up' for police officers across France in
the wake of the attack last week
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