Large numbers of French police officers and soldiers have been deployed to the port of Marseille in the south of France after a stolen truck crashed into two separate bus stops within the course of an hour, killing one. The mental health of the driver is being investigated.
French newspaper Le Figaro reports the two collisions took place between 0830 and 0930 Monday morning. The first bus shelter was struck by the Renault Master van in the 13th district, where a pedestrian was “seriously injured”.
In a second strike, the same vehicle is reported to have hit another bus stop in the city’s 11th district later. Local newspaper La Provence reports a 42-year-old woman was killed at that location.
The vehicle was then “immobilised” by police in the vicinity of the old port, and the 35-year-old driver arrested.
The local newspaper quotes police sources who state the individual was known to police, and has “psychological problems”. Some three hours after the arrest, a police spokesman said there was presently no evidence to suggest the event was a terror attack and they were investigating the mental health of the driver.
The incident comes as security forces across Europe stand on high alert following a spate of back-to-back Jihadist terror attacks. Spain suffered three consecutive attacks over the course of Thursday and Friday, which saw 14 killed by Moroccan and North African terrorists. A manhunt for one of the attackers is still ongoing, and there are fears the Islamist may have used Europe’s open borders to flee the country.
These attacks were followed by a mass stabbing in Finland, which police have now revealed were perpetrated by Moroccan asylum seeker Abderrahman Mechkah. who arrived in the country in 2016.
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