‘Allahu Akbar’: Two Injured After Suspect Drove Vehicle into Late-Night Crowds in France

Police arrested a 32-year-old suspect in the early hours of Friday morning after a vehicle struck anti-terror barriers in the French city of Nimes, injuring two.

Although few details about the identity of the suspect are known, police sources reported by Midi Libre state he is believed to have deliberately wanted to hit a crowd of people with his vehicle. He struck anti-terror barriers deployed to prevent exactly that sort of incident, which worked as intended, potentially preventing a number of injuries or fatalities.

Several newspapers, including London’s Times reports the driver shouted Allahu Akbar, although Nimes police say they do not believe terrorism was a motivation for driving the vehicle into a crowded bar and that he was mentally confused. The suspect was not subject to a police S-file, the French system of monitoring extremists.

Neither victim was seriously injured, having been struck in the lower limbs during the incident. The suspect is being investigated over attempted murder charges.

After the vehicle came to a stop, the suspect attempted to flee the scene but was overpowered by onlookers and was subsequently released.

France has seen a sudden surge of attacks by mentally confused individuals this week, which in turn follow a long campaign of terror attacks against the public and servants of the state which leaves the nation’s cities crisscrossed by counter-terror barriers such as those seen in Friday morning’s attack, and a heavy police and army presence on the streets.

Breitbart London reported on Monday when an Afghan migrant went on a rampage in Paris, using an iron bar and a knife to attack passers-by, including two British tourists. There were no fatalities and Paris police said they did not believe there was a terrorist motive.

The same day, a man claiming to be an “envoy of Allah” smashed a stolen car into Lyon airport, in an incident that saw dozens of flights cancelled. Police said the suspect had a history of mental illness.

France has seen a significant rise in so-called random acts of violence, with a February report stating there were as many as 777 attacks every single day in the European nation that the police were unable to ascertain a motive to.

Oliver JJ Lane is the editor of Breitbart London — Follow him on Twitter and Facebook