A man described as visibly homeless has been arrested after allegedly assaulting two women at random in the streets near the Gare du Nord train station in Paris’s 10th arrondissement on Tuesday morning. One victim required hospitalization.
A Sudden Morning Attack
The incident occurred around 8:35 a.m. on December 9 near 129 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin. According to a police source, a woman was walking when she was suddenly and violently struck in the face by the man. The force of the blow caused her to fall to the ground.
Dazed, she managed to take refuge in a nearby café. The manager, who witnessed the attack, immediately assisted her, alerting both firefighters and the police. The victim sustained two hematomas near her right eye and was transported to Lariboisière Hospital. A source close to the investigation confirmed her life was not in danger.
Second Assault Minutes Later
The assailant did not stop. He continued his path and, again without apparent motive, targeted a second woman on Rue de Dunkerque, directly facing the Gare du Nord. The Paris prosecutor’s office stated the first victim, while being aided by a witness, saw “the same person strike another victim in the head.”
This time, a plainclothes crew from the Regional Transport Security Brigade (SDPRT) was on site. Officers intervened immediately, arresting the suspect at 8:45 a.m.—just ten minutes after the first attack. The second victim, though shocked, was not injured and did not require hospital transport. She has filed a complaint.
Investigation Underway
The arrested suspect was taken into custody at the SDPRT headquarters. A particular aspect of the case is that the formal notification of his rights was delayed pending the arrival of an interpreter in the Afghan language.
The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that CCTV footage corroborated the assault on the first victim, though it did not cover the second part of the incident. The investigation has been entrusted to the Regional Transport Security Brigade.
