This weekend, nearly 150 attendees at a nationwide music festival in France were subjected to mysterious syringe attacks. The attacks took place across France and those targeted were mainly women, and included 14 teen girls.
Authorities reported that a dozen suspects have been arrested in relation to the troubling incident.
Local and national law enforcement are investigating the wave of deranged incidents in which suspects wielding syringes with unknown contents jabbed 145 victims at the popular Fêtes de la Musique, or World Music Day, celebrations across the country, causing several to be hospitalized.The first attack was reported to police at 9:15 p.m. on the Rue du Palais in Metz in northeastern France, according to Mayor François Grosdidie.Authorities received a report of a suspect involved in one of the attacks and used security footage to track him down, Grosdidie said.
Some reports suggested possible motives ranging from pranks to more sinister intentions, though no clear motive or substance was confirmed at the time. Victims were taken for toxicology testing, to determine if drug were involved.
According to the interior ministry, it remains unclear whether the cases of “needle spiking” – in which attackers use syringes to inject victims typically in the arm, leg or buttocks – involved date-rape drugs such as Rohypnol or GHB, which can leave individuals disoriented, unconscious and vulnerable to assault.“The ministry is taking this very seriously,” a spokeswoman from the interior ministry told CNN on Monday. “Toxicology tests are being done and the investigation is ongoing.”
One aspect of the investigation is exploring whether these incidents were inspired by troubling posts circulating online encouraging men to “target women with syringes” during the holiday.
The growing fear surrounding so-called “needle spiking” has been a point of concern in Europe over the past few years. However, the rarity of confirmed toxicology findings has left health professionals and law enforcement divided over the true extent of the issue. Regardless, the fear it generates—and the disruption it causes—is real and escalating.Festival organizers and police are facing mounting pressure to increase safety measures at future events, including more thorough bag checks, medical tents, and real-time monitoring of social media for threats.As France processes the events of this year’s Fête de la Musique, one message is clear: public spaces once considered safe for celebration must now reckon with a new kind of threat—one that is silent, deliberate, and deeply unsettling.
The syringe attacks were part of the overall chaos and mayhem that was associated with the nationwide festival.
Apart from those suspects, more than 370 people were detained during the festival on various charges, including nearly 90 people in Paris. Fourteen participants in the festivities were seriously injured, including a 17-year-old who was hospitalized after being found sitting on the street with stab wounds to the lower abdomen. Thirteen members of law enforcement were also injured.
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