“It’s an attack, we were blown up.” Thierry Richard, one of the passengers in the car that exploded Thursday, December 30, in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), a few days before the start of the Dakar 2022, does not budge. For him, the explosion which struck the vehicle, while he was going to a technical control, is of criminal origin. This track which takes thickness after the opening of an investigation, Tuesday, January 4, by the French national anti-terrorism prosecution. Here is what we know about this still nebulous affair.
What happened on Thursday, December 30, a few days before the start of the rally?
A car from the Sodicars team exploded, 500 meters after leaving the hotel where the crew had spent the night. The vehicle was heading to the stadium where the checks of the cars participating in the race took place. Thierry Richard, 57, who drives for the same team and was in the vehicle, spoke of “war scenes”. According to the Bordeaux resident, six people were on board, including him in the passenger seat. He told AFP he was lifted by the blast, adding that his legs hit the dashboard and the car caught fire.
The driver, veteran pilot Philippe Boutron, 61, sustained serious injuries to his legs. “Philippe asked me to come and help him get out of the seat, tell The team his co-pilot, Mayeul Barbet. He no longer felt his legs! I saw the extent of the damage by helping him and having notions of first aid, I immediately operated by doing tourniquets because he was losing a lot of blood, while remaining conscious. “
A civilian businessman and also president of the Orléans football club, Philippe Boutron was first taken care of on site before being repatriated to the military hospital of Clamart, in Hauts-de- Seine. He was still in an artificial coma to relieve his pain, Wednesday, says his team. “He was badly burned and shredded in his lower limbs, describes one of his relatives at Parisian. We are very afraid that the doctors will have to amputate both legs. “ The other five people on board were not injured.
Is this a criminal explosion?
Several theses are opposed. The Saudi police, seized of the investigation, said they had found no trace of an explosive device on the carcass of the vehicle and favored the thesis of the accident.
But the race direction refuses to exclude the track of a “malicious act”. The boss of the Sodicars team, Richard Gonzalez, even told France Bleu Orléans to have seen the envelope of the bomb under the car when it was taken by the investigators: “It is indeed a load that there was under the spar of the vehicle which farted. I was there, I have the photos, I saw everything, it is indeed a voluntary act, it does not there is no doubt about it. “ The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (Pnat) announced the opening of an investigation on Tuesday. The investigations were entrusted to the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI).
Is the rally directly targeted?
In 2009, the Dakar resolved to leave the African continent after terrorist threats targeting the race. Hence the ten years in South America and, since 2020, a relocated course in Saudi Arabia, which seeks to change through sport its image of a rigorous kingdom with little regard for human rights. The country thus hosts an F1 Grand Prix, prestigious boxing matches and even an edition of the billiard world cup.
There was no threat to the race during the 2020 and 2021 editions which took place in the Wahhabi kingdom. If it was an attack that targeted the Sodicars vehicle, it has not been claimed. The organizers, however, reinforced security measures immediately after the explosion and urged participants not to stay outside the official structure. Nevertheless, according to The team, several competitors now check under their cars every morning.
Has Saudi Arabia (re) become a dangerous country?
The kingdom has experienced two dark decades, with more than 800 attacks since 2000. In recent years, even if many of its nationals have joined the ranks of the Islamic State or Aqpa terrorist organizations, the situation appeared to be calmer.
However, in 2020 the attacks resumed, specifically targeting France. In October a security guard at the French consulate in Jeddah was slightly injured in a stabbing attack two weeks before a bomb exploded in the city’s non-Muslim cemetery during the November 11 commemorations. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack and explained that it was targeting the French consul. “The terrorist threat persists in Saudi Arabia. Maximum vigilance should be exercised in daily life, especially when traveling “, insists the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its page “Advice to travelers”.