French police have arrested 12 suspects after 145 people reported being stabbed with syringes at a music festival in France on Saturday, leading to the hospitalization of more than a dozen young women.
Metz Mayor François Grosdidier said a call was made to police around 9:15 p.m. local time about “syringe attacks” during the French music festival Fête de la Musique, where millions of people took to the streets across France.
Grosdidier said that when authorities responded to Rue du Palais in La Rochelle, multiple girls and women between the ages of 14 and 20 were found to be victims of the syringe attacks.
He said the victims were transported to a local hospital for further care after they were treated by emergency responders at the scene. The potentially injected substance, which has not been disclosed, remains under investigation as the Interior Ministry waits for the toxicological test results.
“I hope that the investigation, particularly through the examination of his cellphone, will lead to the identification of other attackers,” Grosdidier added.
The 12 suspects were arrested across France, according to the Interior Ministry. Four people in the city of Angouleme were reportedly suspected of having targeted around 50 victims.
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Police said there were more than 370 people detained during the festival on various charges.
Thousands of people gather at the Chatelet district and on the banks of the Seine to celebrate Fête de La Musique 2025 as bands and DJs play across Paris, France on June 21, 2025.
Luc Auffret/Anadolu via Getty Images
Before the free music festival began, French feminist influencer Abrège Soeur warned the public online that there had been calls on social media for women to be targeted with syringes during the festivities. (Soeur did not clarify how she came across this information, or where she saw it online.)
She suggested an alert code be used “to protect women” and warned others to use the code if they saw anyone in danger.
The proposed code, for anybody who appeared to be in danger, was to be asked if they bought their shirt at the clothing store H&M. If they responded with a different brand, that meant they were not in danger. She also suggested that if someone was in danger, to add “H&M, right?” to help identify that they needed help.
A similar incident took place in June 2022, when several suspects around France were detained or given preliminary charges for allegedly pricking people with a needle in nightclubs or at concerts following a surge in needle attacks that seeded panic among young clubgoers.
At the time, the French Interior Ministry, prosecutors, the national anti-drug agency, public health authorities and doctors had not determined a motive for the attacks, or whether the victims were injected with drugs, viruses or any substance at all.
From January to June 2022, 1,004 people filed formal complaints with French authorities about the needle pricks, according to the Interior Ministry.
In those cases that resulted in charges, medical tests did not reveal any signs of harmful substances, including so-called date rape drug GHB, authorities said. The suspects have denied all allegations.
At the time, the targeted individuals, who were mostly women, had visible marks of injection, often bruises, and reported symptoms like feeling groggy. The ministry official urged caution in assuming a link between the needle pricks and GHB.
The investigation into the Fête de la Musique stabbings is ongoing.
— With files from The Associated Press
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