AThe causes of the accident remain undetermined, with authorities “giving preference at this stage” to a “road accident”. The investigation has been entrusted to the Judicial Accident Processing Service (STJA).
The driver, who was on the run, has already been arrested and placed in police custody, accused of “involuntary manslaughter, unintentional injuries caused by the driver and danger to life”, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.
The vehicle, a dark Toyota, is still at the entrance to the bar, with its hood completely retracted, an AFP journalist noted, noting that a red and gold tarpaulin had been placed in front of the terrace, hiding the tables and the car.
Police checked that there were no explosives in the vehicle, the mayor of the 20th arrondissement of Paris, Eric Pliez, told reporters from near the scene of the disaster.
“All the injured were customers”, “people who were on the terrace, because the weather is good today”, said Eric Pliez, visibly emotional.
Near the scene of the clash, in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, around the terrace of the Le Ramus café, a large police concentration was set up, with soldiers from the anti-terrorist unit and four fire engines, which isolated the avenue of the Père Lachaise cemetery, with many residents being prevented from reaching their homes.
The passenger, who was also in the car, was arrested shortly after the disaster that occurred at 7:30 pm local time (6:30 pm in Lisbon), testing positive for drugs and alcohol, according to a source close to the case.
The six injured, three of whom were in very serious condition, were taken to hospital, a police source said.
This event takes place less than ten days before the opening of the Olympic Games, for which an average of around 35,000 police and gendarmes and 18,000 French military personnel will be mobilized daily.
From 5:00 a.m. on Thursday 18 July until 26 July, the Internal Security and Anti-Terrorism Perimeter (SILT) will be activated in Paris, around the banks of the River Seine, to prepare for the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games.
The Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games “were not specifically targeted by international terrorist organizations,” French national anti-terrorism prosecutor Olivier Christen said on Tuesday, although he highlighted the “resurgence” of the terrorist threat to “the entire country.”
Read Also: Several people run over on a terrace in Paris. At least one person is dead
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Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2600158/policia-afasta-terrorismo-apos-atropelamento-em-esplanada-de-paris
