A car plowed into a crowd in Caen, Calvados, in northern France on the night of the 26th (local time), leaving two people dead and nine others injured.

According to AFP and the BBC, Calvados Prefect David Clavier stated that a car deliberately struck pedestrians across from a train station, adding that seven of the injured are in critical condition.

Following a massive manhunt, a 26-year-old man of Russian origin was arrested as a suspect about 20 kilometers away from the scene.

The man was reportedly not on the radar of French intelligence agencies, and police were only aware of minor traffic violations on his record.

Caen Mayor Aristide Olivier stated that investigators are looking into the motive and are not treating the incident as a terrorist attack at this stage, while adding that the investigation is still in its early phases.

Witnesses also reported that a fight had broken out between two groups at the scene before the incident occurred.

(Photo: Getty Images)