Teen girls among 145 stabbed with syringes across France at popular music festival, 12 sickos arrested

Nearly 150 concertgoers, many of them teenage girls, were jabbed with a syringe in a bizarre attack at a nationwide music festival in France Saturday, and a dozen suspects have been nabbed in connection with the disturbing barrage, according to officials. 

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. 

“The municipal police identified him on Rue Serpenoise, arrested him, and made him available to the National Police and the Justice Department,” he added. 

“I hope that the investigation, particularly through the examination of his cellphone, will lead to the identification of other attackers.”

Firefighters responded promptly to each attack, deploying seven emergency vehicles and creating a staging area for the victims on Place d’Armes, Grosdidie said.

French officials were anticipating unprecedented crowds for this year’s Fêtes de la Musique, a free music festival held every year on the summer solstice. 

It showcases a mix of professional and amateur musicians who play at different venues, including parks and street corners in cities across the country. Officials estimated that 50,000 people attended the concerts in Metz while “unprecedented crowds” descended upon Paris. 

Across France, there were millions of people who took to the streets Saturday evening for the festival, according to La Monde. None of them were deterred by posts on Snapchat and other social media sites warning of the bizarre syringe attack. 

The Interior Ministry said 145 victims across the nation reported being stabbed with needles, with Paris police officials probing 13 cases in the capital. 

Officials did not specify if the syringes were filled with date-rape drugs such as Rohypnol or GHB, used by sexual assailants to make women and girls vulnerable to sexual assault, La Monde reported.

As of Sunday, at least three people reported feeling sick after getting jabbed by the syringe-wielding maniacs. 

“Some victims were taken to hospital for toxicological tests,” the ministry said.

Police arrested 12 suspects whom they believe were involved in the twisted syringe attacks, the Interior Ministry said. The attackers are believed to have targeted around 50 victims, a police source told La Monde.