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A MAN DRIVING a car near the French city of Toulouse rammed into three students today, leaving two of them in a serious condition, French police told AFP.
The incident is said to have occurred outside a college in the suburb of Blagnac.
The man, who was arrested immediately afterwards, acted “deliberately” but was not on a list of known extremists, the source added, asking not to be named.
France has been victim of a series of vehicle attacks by extremists inspired by the Islamic State group, but there was no immediate confirmation of the driver’s identity or motive.
The BFM news channel said the man was known to police for previous non-terror crimes and officers were checking reports he suffered from major psychological problems.
All three of Friday’s victims were in their twenties, with a 23-year-old woman the most seriously injured and two men aged 22 and 23 also hurt. The first reports from the scene suggested two of them had been seriously injured.
More as we get it…
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Cars dont drive themselves in to innocent people. Its almost always Islamic extremists who do the driving. Note how much of the media highlight the vehicle in the headlines and not the perpetrators.
@AR Devine: Very true. I was just looking at headlines from different media sources on this incident. “Car ploughs into students…” “Car slams into crowd…” “French car attack”
@AR Devine: Cars (or guns) don’t kill people, people kill people.
@AR Devine: man drives car ….
@AR Devine: It’s just blatant motorism. Bloody motorists. I’ve had loads of cars and none of them have ever hurt anyone. I hate seeing the media condemn all cars because of the actions of a few. #notallcars
@Joey Jr Shabadoo: Motophobia is a hate crime
@AR Devine:
Also, it does bring the question of automated cars into the equation.
I certainly won’t be driving one.
@AR Devine: do you not understand that they cannot apportion blame until all the facts have been established? Or is that too difficult a concept for you to grasp?
@Dean Moriarity: Lol was that a joke? I hope so
@Dermot Lane: Allahu Akbar
@Pepe Kekistani: allahu schizophrenia according to the BBC
‘The man who acted “deliberately” was not on a list of known extremists’
He is now.
@Dean Moriarity: my thoughts exactly. At some stage none of them where on the list.
@Jason Ebbs: previous drug related convictions and a possible history of mental health issues. May not have been ideological.
@Dave O Keeffe:
That doesn’t automatically exclude Islam. After all, the Quran does explicitly state that the sins of martyrs are absolved and radical Imams have been known to prey on young Muslims with mental health issues.
More facts need to come to light before we can know for sure.
@Thought for Food: which would probably be why I didn’t exclude any possibility in my comment.
what good do any of them bring to Ireland?
@Christy Pop: cars? People? Bad drivers? Mentally ill people? Who or what are you talking about?
Not again.
@Dave Murray: yes again and it will unfortunately happen many more times! Can’t see an end to it sadly
@Paddy: known to police but not a known extremist seems a bit odd. He might just be insane but I’m not ruling anything out at this stage.
Token ‘Religion of Peace’ comment in 3…2…1…
**IRONY ALERT**
@Dean Moriarity: BBC reporting “Police say the man is known for previous minor offences, notably drugs-related.”
Sounds a little outside the typical description for an extremist, doesn’t it?
@Guy Incognito: yet you were the first ..funny that ..
@Declan __d: I’m but one man who got there first, I need no accolades.
@Guy Incognito: Should read “token 2nd Religion of Peace comment in 3…2….1… since yours was the 1st.
@Guy Incognito:
Not necessarily, after all the perpetrators of the largest Islamic terror attack in history were on the drink and drugs before flying packed passenger jets into buildings.
If they know enough to be able to say attackers name isn’t on any lists then why have they not released his name?
@John Arc: because they need to investigate. Investigation works best when people aren’t tipped off that police are on the way.
@Dave O Keeffe: “Investigation works best when people aren’t tipped off that police are on the way.”
the attacker was arrested immediately after committing the attrocity.
@John Arc: and if it was planned anybody that was involved would be tipped off by the name being announced, even if it wasn’t planned anybody that lived with him would be checking his computer etc. Stop being silly
@Dave O Keeffe: “and if it was planned anybody that was involved would be tipped off by the name being announced”
That makes absolutely no sense.
@Chad Rockett: how so? It could be the trigger for other events
Not on a known list of extremists….. makes a change.
“Wasn’t on the list of known extremists” – biggest problem with that statement is they are usually on that list just once – post mortem
Nobody needs a semi-automatic assault car. Ban them immediately.
Ah those crazy Christians again!
@Tomasz Kuchnik: Could very well be, since the driver has prior convictions for drug possession and such, but please, don’t wait for facts, I wouldn’t want to spoil your hate mongering
@Larissa Caroline Nikolaus: its likely a muslim. This is their MO and they are known to hate education so attacking a college would fit their bill.
@Tomasz Kuchnik: “The BFM news channel said the man was known to police for previous non-terror crimes and officers were checking reports he suffered from major psychological problems.”
Look at that, waiting a few minutes for more details might have saved you looking like a tit
@Larissa Caroline Nikolaus: No indication yet of the attacker’s religion, but to think that because he has previous convictions for drug possession makes him less likely to be a Muslim is ridiculously naive.
@Chad Rockett: Larissa joked about the stabbing of wonen in Marseille recently. She a disgusting human. A feminist who hates women. Amazing stuff.
@John Arc: Muslims hate education? that is such an ignorant, I’ll informed comment. I suggest you study history a bit. (Speaking of education, it should be ‘it’s)
@Guy Incognito: like a tit? Of course – all of them are not known for terrorism related activities until this one time finally happens you liberal naive :)
@KingBen: that would be the male in her…
@Dermot Lane: I’ll informed. Lol
@Tomasz Kuchnik: not true, most Islamic fundamentalist terrorists turn out to be on watchlists, which is stupid really. Why on watchlists instead of deportation lists
@Declan __d: probably never
Let me be the first to say that this has nothing, I repeat nothing to do with Islam. Muslims are all peaceful. A few people who aren’t “real” Muslims have been forced to do this by western imperialism bombing them. But it has nothing to do with Islam.
@Don Shavago: sure.
Dont care, just put the bullet in the head, one less of them the better.
@purple rain: humans?
@Dave O Keeffe: nah these aren’t human.
BTW, cars crash into people all over the globe every day and it’s not a news story. The Journal know well that an event like this with a headline phrased the way it is here will lead to plenty of clicks and a lot of bickering in the comments, meaning lots of lovely ad revenue.
@Guy Incognito: this was not an accidental car crash this was deliberate attack.
@Guy Incognito: How many cars are driven into people deliberately everyday and unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last number of years, quite a few Europeans have been killed by extremists using vehicles as weapons.
@Adam O’Sullivan: Difference being, Limerick isn’t under a state of emergency as a result of Islamic terrorism.
@Chad Rockett: neither is France
@Dr Richard DeWitt: My mistake, it ended 9 days ago. More in name than nature though.
@Chad Rockett: BBC are quoting other saying he’s schizophrenic and he told the police that voices in his head told him to do it. But that’s just BBC
No one should be allowed purchase an assault car
have your say