Via Voice of Europe

Late last night, a man intentionally drove his car into a crowd of people, in the city of Nîmes. Although the suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar”, according to witnesses, the authorities dismissed the idea that it was a terrorist attack, Midi Libre reports.

Around 1:30 a.m, a man in a white Peugeot drove his car towards a group of 50 people in front of the “Instant T” bar in Nîmes. The people gathered in preparation for a local annual grape harvesting festival.

The man in the Peugeot rammed two people before being stopped by anti-terror barriers. Witnesses said the suspect tried to flee the scene but was detained by bystanders before he was arrested by police.

An investigation was opened by Montpellier’s judiciary police for “homicide attempt” the public prosecutor’s office says.

Even though witnesses at the scene told press agency AFP that the driver shouted “Allahu Akbar”, police dismissed the possibility of a terrorist attack, according to French newspaper Le Figaro.

Montpellier’s public prosecutor, Eric Maurel, describes the suspect as being in a state of “mental confusion” during his arrest, after having been “roughed up” by the crowd who restrained him.

A police spokeswoman has said the investigation is being handled by the police and not anti-terror investigators though she admits she has no information regarding the man’s motives.

Fortunately the injuries suffered by the two victims are non life-threatening but they remain hospitalised.