“The ministry is taking this very seriously,” a spokeswoman from the interior ministry told CNN
Twelve suspects were detained in France over the weekend after at least 145 people reported being pricked with syringes during a street music festival, the country’s interior ministry announced.
The incidents occurred across the nationwide celebration Fête de la Musique, with at least 13 cases happening in Paris. According to the ministry, it’s still unclear if the incidents had to do with “needle spiking,” where attackers inject date-rape drugs into victims to leave them disoriented or vulnerable to assault.
According to CBS News, three people in Paris — including a 15-year-old girl and an 18-year-old male — reported feeling unwell after being pricked by the syringes. Of the 12 suspects arrested, four came from the city of Angouleme, and are suspected of targeting 50 of the victims.
“The ministry is taking this very seriously,” a spokeswoman from the interior ministry told CNN. “Toxicology tests are being done and the investigation is ongoing.”
According to CNN and CBS, feminist influencers in the country, including Abrège Soeur, alleged that women in the state were being targeted in syringe attacks. “These are extremely serious incidents,” Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez told French outlet CNews, calling the calls online to attack women “completely idiotic.”
Overall, more than 370 people were detained during the weekend’s massive music festival over various charges. Fourteen festivalgoers faced serious injuries, although it’s unclear if they were related to the syringe incidents.
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Reports of similar syringe attacks spread in the summer of 2022, with the government putting out messages to be vigilant and advising folks to go to the police immediately, per The Guardian. Several of those alleged attacks also occurred in Nantes, Grenoble, and Toulouse during the annual Fête de la Musique.
