The driver who deliberately injured five people on Wednesday on the tourist island of Oléron in western France had recently become religiously radicalized and said he "followed the orders of Allah," according to the justice system, which ruled out any link with "terrorist organizations."

The suspect, who recently converted to Islam, stated that he "followed Allah's orders" to make "a sacrifice," La Rochelle prosecutor Arnaud Laraize told the press. He requested that the suspect be charged with attempted murder for having "attempted to take the lives of seven people in less than 30 minutes."

The suspect had no links "with terrorist organizations," according to the prosecutor. Earlier in the day, the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) had decided "not to retain jurisdiction" over the investigation.

The man uttered Allah Akbar "on numerous occasions" during his arrest, as he attempted to flee into a field after setting fire to his vehicle, inside which investigators found a gas cylinder and a 35-centimeter knife blade.

The 35-year-old driver deliberately struck five pedestrians or cyclists on Wednesday morning during a 35-minute journey on the roads of the tourist island, which has about 20,000 permanent residents.

He injured five people aged between 22 and 69. Two of them, seriously injured, are still hospitalized, their medical condition remaining "particularly worrying" according to the magistrate.

They are a 22-year-old woman, an assistant to a local National Rally (far-right) MP, and a 69-year-old cyclist.

- "Strange noises in his head" -

The prosecutor indicated that an initial psychiatric evaluation of the suspect concluded that there was an "alteration" but not an "abolition" of his judgment in committing the act.

In front of investigators, this single man in his thirties with no children said he "wanted to die by immolating himself", but failed to blow up the car which belonged to his father.

"In his last hearing, he stated that he had been hearing strange noises in his head for some time and expressed his desire to be committed to a psychiatric hospital," said Arnaud Laraize.

For his part, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez had questioned earlier on Thursday "the motivation of the individual", presented as an alcoholic outcast in Oléron.

After setting fire to his vehicle, the man in his thirties shouted "Allah Akbar" (God is the greatest) when he was apprehended by the police, who neutralized him with an electric pulse gun.

When asked whether the suspect, who reportedly discovered Islam a month ago according to some media outlets, had undergone self-radicalization, Laurent Nuñez replied: "I can confirm that." The minister preferred to speak of a "deadly rampage" rather than a "terrorist attack."

The suspect lived in isolation in a mobile home in Saint-Pierre d'Oléron. A fisherman and son of a fisherman, he also did odd jobs, including working as a waiter in a bar, according to testimonies gathered on site.

Described as a polydrug user and under the influence of cannabis during his criminal journey, he made statements to investigators "that lack coherence, marked by personality disorders".

At the end of his custody on Friday morning, the suspect will be presented to an investigating judge for formal charges of attempted murder, the public prosecutor added.