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Georgians charged for 90 burglaries in Paris region

Five Georgians suspected of committing 90 burglaries in the Paris region using acid to break locks have been charged, prosecutors said on Thursday.

Georgians charged for 90 burglaries in Paris region
(Photo by FRED TANNEAU / AFP)

Four of the suspects were held in pre-trial detention from Wednesday and the fifth is being monitored by police, the prosecutors in Nanterre, northwest of the French capital, told AFP.

In a rare method for break-ins, the robberies were carried out by injecting a corrosive liquid to destroy the locks of apartment doors, prosecutors and a police source said.

An investigation was launched last year after a July 2022 surge in burglaries using the technique in the Ile-de-France region surrounding Paris.

They began in the early days of France’s summer holidays before tailing off in mid-September.

Europol data showed up similar cases in Austria in November 2022, followed by Belgium, Portugal and Germany.

Acid-enabled burglaries were again identified in France from early August, prompting a new organised crime investigation for theft and dealing in stolen goods.

Police were able to arrest six Georgian suspects at their safe houses and in a vehicle believed to have been used in the crimes, after setting up surveillance around the town of Saint-Cloud west of Paris following four break-ins.

Jewels, special chemical-resistant gloves, high-capacity syringes and gas masks were found in one search, the police source said.

They added that the suspects formed “established, professional teams” for their raids.

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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. 

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