A 35-year-old man accused of deliberately running over five people on Oléron Island was charged on Friday with 'attempted assassinations' and placed in provisional detention. His discernment was altered at the time of the incident, according to psychiatric experts, but the act does not constitute terrorism. Two victims remain in critical condition.
On November 7, 2025, the La Rochelle prosecutor announced that the 35-year-old man suspected of deliberately ramming five people during a 30-minute rampage on Oléron Island was charged with 'attempted assassinations.' Before the investigating judge, the suspect remained silent. He was immediately placed in provisional detention.
Marginal and living isolated in a mobile home in Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, the thirty-something, a fisherman and son of a fisherman who held odd jobs like serving in a bar, is described as a polytoxicoman. At the time of the incident, he was under the influence of cannabis. Initially drawn to Catholicism, he recently converted to Islam. During custody, he stated he had 'heard strange noises in his head for some time' and 'followed Allah's orders' to 'make a sacrifice.' Religious writings were found at his home, but initial investigations revealed no links to terrorist organizations, ruling out a jihadist dimension. The national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office is not involved yet, though it is monitoring the case.
Psychiatric experts concluded his discernment was altered but not abolished during the incident, in which he attempted to run over seven people, injuring five. Oléron Island, a tourist spot in Charente-Maritime with about 20,000 permanent residents, saw the suspect with a history of common law offenses: he had been convicted in the past for theft, driving without points, and violence, without being monitored for radicalization.
Among the victims, two are in absolute emergency. One has spinal cord and vertebral injuries in a very serious state; the other is polytraumatized but more stable, according to the prosecutor speaking to France Bleu. Upon arrest, he reportedly shouted 'Allah akbar,' but this does not steer the investigation toward terrorism.