SHARE
COPY LINK

CRIME

Man charged over mystery needle attacks in France

French prosecutors have charged a 20-year-old man in southern France in connection with a fresh spate of needle  attacks that have mystified police and alarmed authorities since the start of the year.

Man charged over mystery needle attacks in France
Reports of "needle attacks" have caused concern in France. Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP

The man was detained and charged on Sunday, two days after around 20 people reported needle injuries during the filming of a televised concert on a Riviera beach in Toulon on Friday evening.

One woman was hospitalised and police had to be called in after reports of the stabbings caused panic in the crowd.

The suspect was identified by two women who said that he attempted to assault them, leading him to be charged with aggravated and premeditated armed  violence, prosecutors in Toulon said.

READ ALSO: Reader question: Is the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis really a no-go zone?

“At the current stage of the investigation, the suspect denies the allegations entirely, but given the witness statements, the prosecutor’s office believes there is sufficient evidence to open a case and present him to a judge (to be charged),” the Toulon prosecutor Samuel Finielz said.

The attacks in Toulon took place during the live recording of “The Song of the Year” show for the TF1 channel, which was broadcast on Saturday night.

Since the start of the year, at least 100 incidents have been reported of young people suffering needle injuries at nightclubs and festivals.

New injuries

New attacks were reported at two music festivals over the weekend.

Six complaints from teenagers aged between 17-18 were lodged at a festival in Belfort in eastern France after they experienced sudden sharp pain in their hands or arms.

Another seven people reported needle injuries at a festival in Vic-Fezensac in southwest France where police arrested a man afterwards, local prosecutor Jacques-Edouard Andrault said.

Most of the victims since the start of the year have been young women.

They often report the sudden onset of identical symptoms — nausea, dizziness and sharp pain — and only later detect a needle prick on their skin.

READ ALSO: No, Paris suburbs are not all deprived and crime-ridden

Cases have been reported all around the country from the western cities of Nantes and Rennes, to the south and Atlantic coasts, and the French Alps.

Authorities advise all victims to undergo blood tests afterwards and some have been given preventative treatment for HIV and hepatitis.

Victims do not appear to have been injected with toxic substances or drugs.

Police have usually struggled to identify the culprits or determine exactly what is being used, either a syringe or a simple pin.

But nightclub owners are beginning to feel the impact of the attacks on their earnings, only months after the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions which saw them closed for long periods.

The attacks were sparking “hysteria” among young people, Thierry Fontaine from the UMIH hospitality association told AFP in April.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

CRIME

Teens charged in France over plot to attack Jewish targets: judicial source

French prosecutors have charged a 19-year-old man and a youth in the Paris region with planning a "terrorist" attack on Jewish targets, a judicial source told AFP on Friday.

Teens charged in France over plot to attack Jewish targets: judicial source

While no details on the pair have been released, French anti-terrorist investigators have expressed increased concern over the young age of some suspects detained in recent months for planning militant attacks.

The 19-year-old has been charged with “terrorist conspiracy” to commit attacks and the “acquisition and possession of arms for a terrorist enterprise,” said the judicial source, speaking on condition of anonymity.

READ ALSO: Anti-Semitism fears stalk Jewish voters’ choice in France

The youth aged under 18 was detained on June 13, the source said.

The pair made contact on social media and were planning a “a violent action notably aiming at Jewish targets,” said the source without giving details on the plot.

Anti-terrorism investigators say a growing number of youths have been held in recent months for preparing attacks.

READ ALSO: French election breakdown: TV debates, polling latest and anti-Semitism

“This is a necessarily worrying phenomenon,” senior anti-terrorist prosecutor Olivier Christen said at an evidentiary hearing on Wednesday.

French politicians have also condemned a growing number of attacks on the country’s Jewish community, the biggest outside Israel and the United States.

Outrage has been expressed over the rape of a 12-year-old Jewish girl in a park in the Paris suburbs last Saturday. Two 13-year-old boys have been charged with rape and making anti-Semitic insults.

Several protest rallies have been held in Paris and other French cities over the case which comes as France prepares for a national election in which the far-right National Rally party is tipped to make major gains. 

SHOW COMMENTS