A driver has rammed his car into pedestrians and cyclists on the Ile d’Oléron, off the west coast of France, leaving 10 people hurt including several in a critical condition.

A local man in his mid-30s had deliberately driven into people and he was arrested after being immobilised with a stun gun, authorities said.

The man drove some distance between two villages on the island, mowing down several people including a young girl, the mayor of Dolus d’Oléron Thibault Brechkoff said.

He eventually abandoned his vehicle and tried to set fire to it before running away, Brechkoff said.

The public prosecutor for La Rochelle, Arnaud Laraize, said the suspect was known to police and that he shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is greatest”) at the moment of his arrest.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said an inquiry had been opened into the incident and he was heading to the scene.

The incident took place around 08:45 (07:45 GMT), and local reports said gas canisters had been found in the back of the suspect’s car after he tried to set the vehicle alight.

Witnesses described seeing a series of incidents in several places on the island, including the villages of Dolus d’Oléron and Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron, which came to an end outside a bakery.