Suspect is in custody after car ‘deliberately’ rammed into pedestrians and cyclists on Île d’Oléron; aide to far-right National Rally MP among the injured
At least five people were injured after a car was driven into pedestrians and cyclists in Saint Pierre d’Oléron on Île d’Oléron, off the west coast of France, the country’s interior minister said.
In a post on X, Laurent Nuñez said that two people were in intensive care, and further three had lighter injuries.
The suspect has been taken into custody, with investigation ongoing, he said.
Mayor of Dolus-d’Oléron said the man arrested at the scene was suspected of abusing drugs and alcohol, Reuters said.
Earlier, the French media reported that up to 10 people were affected by the incident, with sources close to the investigation suggesting the driver “deliberately” drove into people, Le Figaro said.
The Sud-Ouest newspaper said that ten people were injured, and four were receiving critical care.
Briefly going back to drones in Belgium, defence minister Theo Francken told lawmakers that he considered the drone sightings that disrupted air traffic in Belgium to be a part of “hybrid threat” against the country, which he stressed was “real and serious.”
“The use of drones near airports, airbases, and barracks not only poses a security risk, but also directly affects our national security and prosperity,” he said in comments reported by Nieuwsblad and VRT News.
He said the authorities believed the drone sightings to be “intentional and disruptive,” with “semi-professional, professional large drones” flying “in formation.”
He told lawmakers that the country was considering triggering Article 4 consultations within Nato, but no decisions have been made yet.
Under Article 4, “the parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.”
It has been only used nine time in Nato’s history, but twice this year as Poland and Estonia triggered the process in September after incidents in their airspace.
It is a separate mechanism to Nato’s better known Article 5 mutual defence clause.
President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, has expressed her solidarity with the people affected by the Oleron incident.
She pointedly mentioned the National Rally MP Pascal Markowsky and his team, after a parliamentary aide was one of the people caught up in the incident (13:07).
We are getting a bit more detail on the suspect in the Oleron incident.
Le Parisien newspaper cited police as saying they were looking into the possibility that the suspect might be mentally ill. BFMTV reported that he was previously known to police for petty crime including drink-driving and drug offences.
The mayor of St Pierre d’Oléron, Christophe Sueur, said the suspect was “well-known, particularly by the gendarmerie, for problem behaviour, for problems with alcohol”.
The prosecutor said the suspect “was not on the S watchlist”, an investigators’ list of radicalised individuals. The Charente Libre newspaper said he was a French national.
A parliamentary assistant to a local MP from the far-right National Rally party is among the injured, the party’s parliamentary spokesperson said on X.
Separately, the party’s president and potential 2027 presidential candidate, Jordan Bardella, expressed solidarity with all injured in the incident, and called for “an exemplary punishment” for the perpetrator.
At least nine people were injured, the mayor of Dolus-d’Oleron, Thibault Brechkoff, said in a post on Facebook.
He stressed the “deliberate” nature of the incident, and said that local authorities were setting up a crisis centre to coordinate their response.
“All services are mobilised to manage the situation!” he said.
French interior minister Laurent Nuñez – quoted earlier (11:50) – is on his way to the scene of the incident, French media reported.
The Sud-Ouest newspaper is quoting the local prosecutor, Arnaud Laraize, as saying that the suspect resisted arrest, and had to be tasered.
The suspect is reported to be a man in his 30s and a resident of a nearby town of La Cotinière, with conflicting reports as to whether he was previously known to the authorities.
Police have arrested the man and are investigating him for alleged “attempted murder”, but the man’s motive was not immediately clear, Laraize added in comments reported by AFP.
French broadcaster BFMTV reported the suspect in d’Oleron car ramming shouted “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic for “God is Greatest”) when arrested, Reuters said.
Sud-Ouest and Le Parisien newspapers reported the same, while adding that investigators were also looking into the possibility that the suspect might be mentally disturbed.
France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office was not in charge of the inquiry at this stage, French media reported.
At least five people were injured after a car was driven into pedestrians and cyclists in Saint Pierre d’Oléron on Île d’Oléron, off the west coast of France, the country’s interior minister said.
In a post on X, Laurent Nuñez said that two people were in intensive care, and further three had lighter injuries.
The suspect has been taken into custody, with investigation ongoing, he said.
Mayor of Dolus-d’Oléron said the man arrested at the scene was suspected of abusing drugs and alcohol, Reuters said.
Earlier, the French media reported that up to 10 people were affected by the incident, with sources close to the investigation suggesting the driver “deliberately” drove into people, Le Figaro said.
The Sud-Ouest newspaper said that ten people were injured, and four were receiving critical care.
Over in the Netherlands, former senior minister Wouter Koolmees of the centrist D66 party has been picked as “the scout” to lead early exploratory talks on forming the next Dutch government.
Koolmees was previously involved in negotiating coalition arrangements in 2017 and 2021, joining Mark Rutte’s governments as social affairs minister and, briefly, deputy prime minister.
In a formal letter with instructions, Rob Jetten, the leader of D66 which won the election last week, told him he wanted “a stable cabinet” with “broad support.”
He also indicated preference for a broad coalition of D66, liberal-conservative VVD, centre-left GL-PvdA, and centrist CDA, which would command 86 seats in the 150-seat parliament.
In the letter, posted on X, Jetten – the likely future prime minister – said that “after a long period of stagnation and instability, [the Dutch people] long for a politics of decisiveness and connection, one that resonates with as many Dutch people as possible.”
Outlining some key priorities of the new government – including housing, education, climate, migration, and economy – he said “it’s up to this generation of politicians to restore the Dutch people’s confidence that politics can truly improve their lives.”
The scout will now get on with talks to see what’s possible, with the VVD expected to be the most difficult party to get on board, as it previously appeared to rule out a coalition with the centre-left GL-PvdA.
But as part of his role, Koolmees will also look beyond the preferable scenario and speak with eight party leaders today, NOS reported. His early report will be submitted to the parliament by 11 November, with a debate on the next steps scheduled for 13 November.
In other news, the Latvian parliament has delayed a decision on withdrawing from the Istanbul Convention opposing violence against women, after pushback from the country’s president and protesters.
In a repeated vote on Wednesday morning, after president Edgars Rinkēvičs sent the original bill back to parliament, the lawmakers agreed to delay a decision on this issue until November 2026.
The parliament had originally voted to withdraw late last month, arguing the treaty introduces a definition of gender that goes beyond biological sex, framing it as a social construct, Reuters said.
The lawmakers also argued that domestic protections in Latvian law were sufficiently tightly drafted, and the withdrawal would not substantially change the legal situation.
But today’s move effectively means that the decision will be made by the next parliament, as Latvia is expected to hold parliamentary election in October 2026, potentially turning the issue into a key election topic.
Prime minister Evika Siliņa welcomed the move, saying it was “a victory of democracy, rule of law, and women’s rights.”
“It is a victory of the Latvian people. Latvia is a reliable partner and ally, and remains committed to European values,” she said.
In yet another drone incident, the local mayor of the city of Diest has just confirmed that four further drones were spotted above the Schaffen military base in the city last night.
Geert Cluckers said in a post on Facebook that “there is no reason to panic, but of course, our security services remain very vigilant.”
The Belgian national security council meeting on drone disruptions has now been confirmed for Thursday morning, Nieuwsblad and De Standaard reported.
Brussels airport had to close on Tuesday night after reported drone sightings, disrupting dozens of flights and journeys of thousands of passengers.
It is the latest example of drones affecting civil airports in Europe, amid growing unease about the disruption they cause and potential motives behind their use.
Flights have resumed on Wednesday morning, but some disruption continued, with planes reported out of position as a result of airport closures, Niuewsblad reported. Some 400-500 passengers had to spend the night at the airport because of the sightings.
Separately, drones were also reported in the vicinity of the Kleine-Brogel and Florennes military airbases and a regional airport in Liège.
Belgium’s interior minister, Bernard Quintin, said the country “cannot accept our airports being disrupted by unauthorised drone flights,” calling for “a coordinated and national response.”
The Belgian national security council could meet today or tomorrow to discuss the incident.
But he did not want to jump to conclusions on who could be behind the sightings, saying “it could be Russia or a hobbyist” flying their drones, and leaving it open for the investigation, VRT reported.
Let’s see what updates we get on this incident during the day. The European Commission will no doubt get asked about it at its daily briefing, as will Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte, who is in Romania today.
It’s Wednesday, 5 November 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.

source