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CRIME

Nantes fan dies after stabbing before French Ligue 1 game

A fan of Ligue 1 club Nantes has died after being stabbed before the club's 1-0 win over Nice, the public prosecutor in the western French city confirmed on Sunday.

A 2020 file photo of police officers steering their car in Nantes.
A 2020 file photo of police officers steering their car in Nantes. A Nantes football fan was fatally stabbed before Saturday's game against Nice. Photo: AFP / Loic VENANCE

The fatality occurred when several vehicles transporting Nice supporters were attacked by rival Nantes fans while on their way to the Beaujoire stadium before Saturday’s game.

“During these events, in circumstances which remain to be determined, a 31-year-old man, a supporter of FC Nantes, collapsed (and) died on the spot, despite the rapid intervention of emergency services,” Nantes public prosecutor Renaud Gaudeul said.

The deceased received “a wound in the back, which could correspond to a bladed weapon”, the prosecutor explained, adding that an investigation for “voluntary manslaughter” had been opened.

A source close to the case told AFP the victim, a member of Nantes supporters group Brigade Loire, had been stabbed by one of the vehicle drivers.

Gaudeul confirmed a 35-year-old driver had been taken into custody on Sunday after turning himself in at a police station in the early hours of the morning.

FC Nantes said they were “saddened” by the death, sending their condolences to the victim’s family.

“Numerous witness interviews are underway and will continue into the night,” the club said in a statement.

“The club can only deplore that a person lost their life in such circumstances.”

French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera sent her condolences in a post on social media, saying the investigation must “identify the exact circumstances of the events”.

The death comes against a backdrop of tensions and recent incidents on the sidelines of Ligue 1 matches.

Two Brest supporters were injured a week ago when their bus was targeted by projectiles after the club’s 3-1 victory in Montpellier.

At the end of October, Lyon’s team bus was stoned on its approach to Marseille’s Velodrome stadium and coach Fabio Grosso was left with cuts to the face that required stitches.

The incidents led to the match being called off just as it was supposed to kick off and with 60,000 fans already in the grounds.

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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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