The driver, who yesterday drove his car into a crowd in western France, is suspected of radicalization, and “explicit religious references” were found at his home, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said today.
“Based on a number of factors regarding this person and the fact that he shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ (‘God is Greatest’), there are references in his case that are quite clear and explicit,” Nuñez said.
The minister added, however, that at this stage it is not clear whether there were religious motives behind the attack, in which five people were injured on the island of Oléron in the Atlantic.
“The country’s special anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office will determine, through a psychiatric evaluation conducted yesterday following two investigations and an examination of phone records, whether these elements triggered the violent act we witnessed,” Nuñez said.
Two of the attack victims remain in very serious condition, he concluded.
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