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A popular French street music festival has resulted in a slew of syringe attacks — prompting authorities to investigate.
Twelve suspects have been detained after 145 festival go-ers reported being pricked while at the Fête de la Musique, according to France 24 with AFP news. The attacks occurred across the Paris region.
Multiple paramedical resources were mobilized, according to French outlet Le Républicain Lorrain.
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French politician François Grosdidier, who serves as the mayor of Metz, posted about the “injection assaults” on his Facebook page.
“Like many cities in France, Ville de Metz was not spared by these cowardly aggressions,” he wrote.
“Seventeen young girls (aged 14-20) were targeted as they were simply out to enjoy the evening.”
He added that the attacks were done on “nearly 150 women across the country.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the French Interior Ministry for comment.
Grosdidier indicated that calls for syringe assaults have been circulating across social media, sparking fears of a coordinated attack.
French influencer Abrège Soeur shared on Instagram ahead of the festival that “calls are circulating on Snapchat to prick people with contaminated syringes.”
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It is unclear if the needles were spiked with “date-rape drugs” such as Rohypnol or GHB.
Other European countries have noted the uptick in spiking attacks, with the United Kingdom reporting an increase in 2021.
Britain’s National Police Chiefs’ Council conducted a report on spiking both by needle injection and in beverages.
The report found spiking victims are predominantly female.
“Not only [is there] the immediate risk to their physical health, but also the shock and distress at having been targeted; the concern about going out socially in future; and, in cases of needle-facilitated spiking, the ongoing worry around testing for blood-borne diseases,” said the report.
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