French people have been detained on suspicion of stabbing people with needles in nightclubs or at concerts, after a series of cases of such attacks caused panic among young people attending nightclubs, the Associated Press reported.
The French Ministry of the Interior, prosecutors, the National Drug Enforcement Agency, public health authorities and doctors were unable to find a motive for the attacks or whether the victims had been injected with drugs, viruses or any other substance.
As of January, 1,004 people have filed formal complaints with French authorities about needle pricks, an interior ministry official told the AP.
In cases where charges have been filed so far, medical tests have found no traces of harmful substances, including the drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate, which is often used to anesthetize women to rape them for lack of taste and smell, authorities said. Visible signs of injections and bruises were found on the bodies of the victims, most of whom were women, and they reported symptoms such as fatigue.
An official of the ministry warned that care should be taken in admitting a link between the stings and the drug gamma-hydroxybutyrate.
After months of fruitless investigations, authorities in Toulon arrested a 20-year-old man suspected of stabbing three women on June 3 and 4 while recording a concert for television. He is the first suspect to be charged in advance with “intentional violence with a weapon (syringe) in aggravating circumstances.”
The prosecutor in the case told the AP that “the suspect denies all charges and is still presumed innocent.” No syringes were found in his apartment. He remains in custody.
Police in the same region later arrested two suspects, who were charged with allegedly giving a harmful substance on June 10th and 11th, the prosecutor added. Syringes and prescription drugs were found in the home of one of the suspects. The man denied all charges and said the syringes and drugs belonged to his wife, who is a nurse.
Eight other people were arrested this Tuesday after individuals said they had been stabbed with needles, the interior ministry said. Some of those arrested were later released. Preliminary charges have been filed against at least one of them.
Fear of needle attacks is growing among young people in France, and they have begun sharing social media tips on how to avoid being stabbed. The British government is also investigating a series of “needle pricks” and police in Belgium and the Netherlands have reported isolated cases.
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