A man rammed a car into pedestrians and cyclists on France's island of Ile d'Oleron on Wednesday, injuring at least nine people, the interior minister and local officials confirmed.

A 35-year-old suspect has been arrested, with local prosecutors saying the incident appeared to be "deliberate."

Officials are currently investigating the suspect for attempted murder.

Five people have been hospitalized, with two in critical condition.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has arrived on the island at the request of the prime minister.

The small island of France's west coast, which is a popular summer tourist destination, is home to 22,500 people.

What do we know about the car ramming incident?

Speaking to the press on Wednesday afternoon, Nunez said that French anti-terror police was assisting investigations in an "observer" capacity.

Nunez confirmed French media reports that the suspect shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest" in Arabic) when he was arrested.

But he added that it was "too early in the investigation" to be say whether the car ramming was a terrorist act, and that the investigation should be allowed to run its course.

Nunez said the suspect acted alone, and was not known to anti-terror police.

He said the attack lasted approximately 35 minutes, and that the suspect had set fire to his vehicle before being police used a taser to subdue him.

The incident took place on a roadside connecting the communities Saint Pierre and Dolus-d'Oleron.    

One of the victims has been identified as a parliamentary staff member of the far-right National Rally legislator, according to French broadcaster BFM.

What else do we know about the suspect?

The suspect is a 35-year-old French national who is a resident of the small fishing village of La Cotiniere.

The mayor of Saint-Pierre d’Oleron described him as a local who lived an "isolated life in a mobile home."

BFM reported that the suspect apprehended was known to the police for disorderly conduct and petty crime, including drunk driving. The French daily Le Parisien said investigators indicated the suspect may have had a history of mental health issues.

How have French politicians reacted to the incident?

Yael Braun-Pivet, President of France’s lower house, the National Assembly, said her thoughts were "with those injured this morning on the island of Oleron, victims of an attack of unprecedented violence."

"The justice system must respond with all necessary clarity and determination," she wrote on X.

Olivier Falorni, MP of the centrist Democrat Movement, addressed the National Assembly, saying that "there is a sense of shock in the country today, and deep concern for the victims."

Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, a deputy of the interior minister, condemned the attack as "tragic and heinous" during the heated debate in parliament.

She also clashed with Sebastien Chenu of the far-right Rassemblement National, who claimed the incident was the latest Islamist attack to affect the country. "There is no town, there is no neighborhood in our country that feels safe from such events," Chenu said.

French authorities have not said the incident is related to terrorism or Islamism.

Car rammings remain a sensitive topic in western Europe, including in France, after a spate of incidents over the last decade.

One of the worst was an attack in France in 2016, when a Tunisian national drove a truck into crowds in Nice celebrating the French national holiday of Bastille Day, killing 86 people and injuring over 400 others.

Edited by Rebecca Staudenmaier