In brief
On 26 August, a vehicle deliberately crashed into a crowd of people opposite Caen train station in northern France, killing two men and injuring ten others, many critically. Local officials confirmed the vehicle was a 26‑year‑old Russian‑born driver who had previously only been known for traffic offences. Witnesses reported a fight breaking out between two groups before the crash, but early investigations discount a terrorist motive. Police have secured CCTV evidence tracking the vehicle and launched a full inquiry led by Caen’s Specialised Crime Division.
Two people have been killed and ten others injured after a car crashed into a group of people near a train station in Caen in northern France, French reports say.
Local Prefect David Clavière told reporters that the vehicle, driven by a 26‑year‑old Russian man, deliberately rammed into pedestrians opposite the station, leaving seven of the injured in critical condition.
Following the incident, the driver was arrested when authorities launched a major emergency response across the Normandy region.
Caen Mayor Aristide Olivier said investigators were trying to understand what had led to the driver’s actions. Witnesses recounted a fight breaking out between two groups before the crash, but authorities have so far ruled out a terrorist motive.
The race to uncover the motive is just beginning, said Bruno Coutanceau, a top security official for Caen.
The victims were all men aged between 17 and 40, according to the French news agency AFP.
The suspect, born in Russia, was later detained roughly 20 km away in the port town of Ouistreham. The city’s CCTV network had tracked the suspect’s car and the police profile indicated he was only known to law enforcement for traffic offences.
Social media footage showed crowds swelling around police cars and ambulances, while a cordoned area surrounded the incident scene.
Local hospitals were called in to treat the injured, with some receiving care in emergency wards of nearby facilities.
Police have opened an investigation, led by detectives from Caen’s Specialised Crime Division, as the case unfolds.
