Two 15-year-olds have been indicted for setting fire to a police vehicle in the commune of Mulhouse and broadcasting footage of the incident on social media.
The incident took place late last month, and saw Molotov cocktails put through the police vehicle’s passenger side window, rapidly setting it on fire. The two teenage suspects, however, were not taken into custody until March 8th and 9th.
Prosecutors have since charged the main suspect in the case with “wilful destruction by dangerous means” of two vehicles, including one that belonged to local police, and remanded in custody. In contrast, the other suspect has been charged with being complicit in the attack, Le Figaro reports.
Footage of the attack was recorded and posted on the social media app Snapchat and was later shared on Twitter by the Synergie-Officers police union.
The Alliance Police Nationale Grand Est union also denounced the attack, labelling the perpetrators as “thugs” and referring to Molotov cocktails as a war weapon. The union also called for a firm response to the attack on the police vehicle.
Attacks on police are not new int he commune of Mulhouse. In 2018, groups of local youths clashed with police in October of that year in what was described as guerilla-style tactics as the youths set traps for officers before attacking them.
In one incident, the youths set garbage bins on fire to lure police to the area and then attacked them with various weapons, including iron bars and rocks, when they arrived on the scene.
Later that year, on Haloween night, at least eight cars were set on fire in the commune as riots and car burnings took place across the country.
The statistical services of the French interior ministry claimed earlier this year that over the last twenty years, attacks on French police had more than doubled. The area of Paris and the Paris suburbs of Seine-Saint-Denis have seen the highest number of attacks on police officials.