Driver who spent time in psychiatric hospital hits 11 people with car in France terror attack
An ‘apparently imbalanced’ driver plowed into crowds at five different locations around Dijon in a half-hour rampage on Sunday, injuring 11 people in the second terror attack of the weekend to strike France.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Sunday, December 21, 2014, 9:47 PM
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CHRISTIAN GUILLEMINOT/ZUMAPRESS.COMAt least two people were critically injured in attacks by a 40-year-old man behind the wheel of a Renault Clio in Dijon, France, a who witnesses said yelled 'Allahu akbar!'
A man who reportedly spent time in a psychiatric hospital shouted "Allahu akbar!" as he rammed his car into crowds at five different locations around Dijon in central France on Sunday, injuring 11 people in a half-hour rampage.
At least two people were critically injured in the attack by a 40-year-old man behind the wheel of a Renault Clio, a who witnesses said was acting for the "children of Palestine" and yelled "God is great," police said.
The incident comes one day after French police gunned down a knife-wielding assailant who allegedly attacked officers while shouting "God is great" in Arabic. The man had injured three officers - two seriously - at a police station in Tours, France.
Counter-terrorist police are investigating the Tours attack amid general concern after several threats by Islamic extremist groups calling for attacks against France.
The government said the driver's motives Sunday were unclear, but the man had run-ins with police dating to the 1990s and was "apparently imbalanced" having spent time in a psychiatric hospital, the BBC reported.
CHRISTIAN GUILLEMINOT/ZUMAPRESS.COMThe French government said the driver’s motives Sunday in Dijon were unclear, but the man had run-ins with police dating to the 1990s and was 'apparently imbalanced' having spent time in a psychiatric hospital.
The Islamic State group and other terrorist organizations have repeatedly called for attacks against France, notably because of the French military's participation in U.S.-led airstrikes in Iraq. Some extremists have specifically suggested that anyone angry at the French government could use weapons easily at hand - such as cars or knives - to stage "lone wolf" attacks.
Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said it was too early to say whether there was any connection between the Sunday car attack and the knife attack in Tours on Saturday.
