A 15-year-old minor has been charged with attempted murder and placed in pre-trial detention following a knife attack on a 17-year-old in Besançon, the city’s public prosecutor announced on Monday.
The victim, who sustained one stab wound to the thorax and another to the thigh, was admitted to hospital on Friday evening. His life was at one point in danger, though his condition has since stabilised.
Attack Linked to Personal Dispute, Not Drug Trafficking
According to the prosecutor, the motive behind the attack “converges towards a personal dispute” and appears to have no connection to drug trafficking.
The principal suspect is also being prosecuted for violence with a weapon against the victim’s brother, the prosecutor added.
Two Additional Suspects Presented Before Prosecutors
Two other suspects — aged 14 and 20 — suspected of being accomplices were presented to the prosecutor’s office on Sunday afternoon.
- The 14-year-old has been charged with complicity in attempted murder and is subject to a provisional judicial educational measure, equivalent to judicial supervision given his age.
- The 20-year-old has also been charged with complicity in attempted murder and placed under judicial supervision.
The case adds to a series of violent incidents involving minors across France in recent months, raising renewed concerns about youth violence and the adequacy of judicial responses for juvenile offenders.
