The Paris authorities said on Tuesday that there was a suspicion of an attempt to kill in connection with terrorism. A French driver was seriously injured in the leg in the explosion on a vehicle belonging to his team in the coastal city of Jeddah last Thursday.
According to organizer Aso, the other five French in the car were uninjured. The driver is Philippe Boutron from Team Sodicars Racing, who was to be competing in the rally for the ninth time. According to Boutron’s team, he was still operated on at the Jeddah Military Hospital. He was later flown to France, as reported by the French news agency AFP.
The pro-government Saudi newspaper “Saudi Gazette” reported on Sunday that the police were ruling out a criminal background after initial investigations. The French Foreign Ministry announced that the hypothesis of a criminal act could not be ruled out. Terrorist threats persist in Saudi Arabia. Maximum vigilance is necessary in everyday life.
The Dakar Rally will take place in Saudi Arabia for the third time this year and will run until January 14th. It leads from Ha’il in northern Saudi Arabia in a loop, first to the east via the capital Riyadh and then through the southern desert to the coast to Jeddah.
Source: Nachrichten
