The incident occurred in the morning in a nearly empty carriage. (Photo: X/@therealmissjo) A suspect arrested in connection with the attempted rape of a woman on a train near Paris after a video of the incident went viral on social media has admitted an altercation with the victim but denied any sexual assault, prosecutors said on Sunday.
The suspect, aged 26 and of Egyptian nationality, was taken into custody Friday as part of the investigation, the Créteil prosecutor’s office said.
At the end of his police custody, the man will be brought Monday before the Créteil prosecutor and could be handed preliminary charges of attempted rape. The public prosecutor also requested pre-trial detention.
The incident has reignited the debate over sexual violence on public transport in France, which has been rising in recent years. The arrest was in connection with the alleged assault of a 26-year-old Brazilian woman earlier this month in a Parisian suburban train.
The incident occurred in the morning in a nearly empty carriage. The prosecutor’s office said the woman filed a complaint, stating that she had been the victim of a sexual assault. She was examined by a forensic doctor who put her on five days of sick leave. French media reported that the woman said she was sexually assaulted, slapped and bitten.
Another passenger rushed to intervene and began filming the scene on her mobile phone as the man fled. The video was later shared on social media. The analysis of video surveillance footage, witness statements, and phone data led to the arrest of the suspect.
“While the man acknowledged recognizing himself in the video footage and admitted to having had an altercation with the victim, he denied any attempted rape or sexual assault,” the prosecutor’s office said, adding that the man had no prior record with the French justice system.
According to a recent government report, the number of victims of sexual violence on public transport has increased by 86% since 2016.
