At least one dead as car rams into crowd near train station in northern France
A car deliberately drove into a group of pedestrians near a train station in Caen, Normandy, killing one person and injuring ten others. A 26-year-old man born in Russia was arrested nearby.
At least one person has died and ten others were injured after a car rammed into a group of pedestrians near a train station in Caen, in France's Normandy region, police said.
Authorities launched a large-scale emergency response following the incident, which led to the arrest of a male suspect. Local prefect David Claviere said seven of the injured were in critical condition, while three others sustained minor injuries.
According to Claviere, the car deliberately drove into pedestrians on the street opposite the train station. The suspect, a 26-year-old man born in Russia, was arrested roughly 20km away in the port town of Ouistreham.
Claviere said the man had not previously been known to intelligence services, and that police were only aware of him over traffic offences.
The incident occurred near a bar, and local media reported that a fight had broken out there shortly before the crash. Bruno Coutanceau, a senior security official in Caen, said investigators were not currently treating the attack as terrorism-related, though the investigation is still in its early stages. He said all the victims appeared to be men between the ages of 17 and 40.
Footage circulating on social media showed crowds gathering near police cars and ambulances at the scene, with a wide area cordoned off. A spokesperson for the local Calvados administration told the BBC that some of the injured were being treated in the emergency ward of a nearby hospital.
Police have opened an investigation, which will be led by detectives from Caen's Specialised Crime Division. Residents have been urged to avoid the area around the Caen train station.
