A French driver of the Dakar 2022, injured Thursday in a leg by the explosion of his car near Jeddah (center west), has undergone surgery in Saudi Arabia and must be repatriated to France, announced the organization of the rally-raid on Saturday. while the Saudi authorities have ruled out a "
criminal
"
act
. The organizers had previously explained that they did not rule out a "
malicious act
" and, according to an AFP journalist, security has been greatly enhanced around the rally-raid bivouac. In the travel advice provided on its website, the French Foreign Ministry also called for “
maximum vigilance
” after this “
explosion
”, stressing that “
the hypothesis of a criminal act is not ruled out. The terrorist threat persists in Saudi Arabia. Maximum vigilance should be exercised in daily life, especially when traveling
, ”noted the Quai d'Orsay.
But in a tweet, the Saudi Minister of the Interior dismissed any “
suspicion of a criminal order
” to explain this “
accident
”. According to him, five French people were in this assistance car, "
one
of whom
was hospitalized and is in a reassuring state
". According to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the five passengers are “
unharmed. The driver of the car sustained a serious leg injury and required surgery. His condition is improving (...). His vehicle had been brutally stopped by a sudden explosion, the origin of which is still unknown at this stage. Saudi police immediately attended and began their investigation, ruling out any possibility, including that ofa malicious act
", According to the press release from the organizer ASO published before the tweet of the Saudi authorities.
Race director David Castera said in an interview with francetvinfo.fr that the driver was Philippe Boutron, 61 years old.
He takes part in his ninth Dakar and is president of the US Orléans football club (3rd div.).
Organizers did not give further details on the severity of his injuries.