‘Suicidal driver high on drugs’ kills girl, 13, and injures 12 others after ‘deliberately’ ploughing BMW into restaurant near French capital
French police arrested the 'suicidal' driver in the town of Sept-Sorts in Seine-et-Marne east of the French capital.
A 13-year-old has been tragically killed after a "suicidal driver high on drugs" crashed his car into a busy pizzeria near Paris.
Cops arrested the suspect in the town of Sept-Sorts in Seine-et-Marne, east of the French capital, and at least 12 people have been left injured following the horrific smash, reports local media.
The driver was driving a dark-coloured BMW and crashed into the terrace of the bustling restaurant where families were enjoying dinner.
Police have confirmed the suspect, who was detained soon after the crash, "deliberately" attacked the eatery with his vehicle.
The prosecutor quickly dismissed a link to terrorism, specifying that the driver, immediately arrested by police, was "presumably" under the influence of narcotics.
He stated in custody that the incident was a suicide attempt.
The man was reportedly not known to cops or French intelligence services and is said to have acted alone.
According to RTL Radio, the driver told police he wanted to kill himself and claimed he had weapons in the car.
Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told BFM television that the man, born in 1985, tried to commit suicide last week.
Authorities said the man was psychologically unstable and had no police record.
He told reporters that he has opened a homicide investigation into the disturbing attack and said explosives experts combed the area and found no weapon of any kind other than the BMW.
The dead 13-year-old's brother was among those injured, it was reported.
Speaking with BFMTV, a witness said the driver tried to reverse away from the restaurant following the attack but was stopped.
They said: "A car drove into the terrace and crashed into the bar. The driver tried to reverse but someone stopped them.
"The gendarmes arrived quickly. There were around 20 people in the restaurant.”
Roads into the village of Sept-Sorts, which has a population of just 400, were tonight being blocked off, with residents being told to stay indoors.
"There is a full-scale alert," said one. "Police are everywhere."
Specialist police units from Paris were scrambled to the scene in the Seine-et-Marne department.
MOST READ IN NEWS
There was no initial sign of anybody else being involved in the crash and the driver remains in custody.
Pictures posted on Twitter showed the badly damaged BMW on the wrecked terrace of the restaurant.
The attack occurred less than a week after an Algerian national was arrested on suspicion of deliberately ramming a hire car into a group of soldiers on a patrol in a Parisian suburb, injuring six.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.'