A disturbing assault unfolded in France when a man agreed to meet someone he believed to be a peer. The report originates from Real17. [Citation: Real17]
The incident took place in the Gironde region on December 22. According to online conversations, a 29-year-old man connected with a person described as a 16-year-old girl and arranged a face-to-face meeting. On the appointed day, he went to the agreed location, only to find seven young men waiting with their faces concealed. They surrounded him, punched and restrained him, and dragged him toward a nearby forest. Inside that secluded area, the group reportedly robbed him of his bank card and coerced him into revealing his PIN under threat of violence. They also allegedly recorded the confrontation and subjected the man to humiliation. After the attackers released him, the man immediately reported the incident to the police. [Citation: Real17]
Authorities later announced that the last suspect had been arrested on February 13. Investigators stated that similar assaults had taken place previously, carried out by the same group. Five of the suspects were placed under strict judicial supervision, a measure that forbids them from contacting one another and requires regular school attendance. [Citation: Real17]
In a separate, previously unknown incident, an attacker assaulted a passerby and stabbed the victim 11 times over a mobile phone. No further details were released at the time of reporting. [Citation: Real17]