A man deliberately drove his vehicle into a group near a bar in Caen, western France, on Wednesday evening, killing two and injuring about ten others, before being arrested, according to multiple sources.

The incident occurred after a fight, according to a police source.

"The suspect is a 26-year-old man of Russian nationality and Chechen origin, legally residing in the country and with no criminal record," said Caen Public Prosecutor Joël Garrigue in a statement Thursday morning.

During his interrogation, the suspect "reported being subjected to violence in front of the train station before the incident. His statements will obviously be thoroughly investigated," the prosecutor continued. The man was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

The Caen prosecutor's office has ruled out a terrorist motive for the time being, while stressing that "the investigations are only just beginning".

Around 10:15 PM (8:15 PM GMT), "a car deliberately drove into pedestrians who were on the public road in front of the station (...) The toll is heavy since we have one dead, seven people in critical condition, three people in relative condition," said the prefect of the Calvados department, David Clavière, who came to the scene, on Wednesday evening after the incident.

A second person, in a coma and in cardiorespiratory arrest, died Thursday morning from their injuries, according to a police source speaking to AFP and confirmed by the prefecture.

According to a police source, the motorist was attacked by several individuals on Wednesday evening.

He returned with his car, took a bus lane in front of Caen station and deliberately drove into these men who were at a bus shelter, mowing down other people who were waiting for the bus in the process, according to a police source.

He then fled before being arrested in Ouistreham, about twenty kilometers from Caen, according to the prefecture.

"As far as we know, all the injured are men (...) the youngest is 17 years old and the oldest must be around forty years old," said Bruno Coutanceau, deputy mayor for security in Caen, to an AFP journalist.

According to a police source, the man who died Wednesday evening was a 35-year-old Afghan. The injured are of various nationalities, according to the same source.

The suspect "is not known to the intelligence services" but he was already known to the police, "only for traffic offenses", according to the prefecture.

"An investigation has been opened on charges of murder and intentional violence with a weapon," according to the deputy prosecutor of Caen.