Media in the Lorraine region reported that several elderly people had been attacked by a person wielding a box cutter in Thionville and Terville this week. The first attack is said to have taken place on the banks of the Moselle river in Thionville on Wednesday, where the perpetrator is alleged to have threatened an elderly couple. Although the circumstances surrounding the attack are yet to be confirmed, the Républicain Lorrain suggested the couple may have intervened to prevent the individual from attacking a jogger.
The elderly man suffered a cut to his ear, requiring several stitches, while his companion was thrown against a wall. A passing cyclist alerted the authorities.
On Thursday, another pedestrian was attacked and left with injuries near Place Patton, while another elderly man was hurt while exiting a pharmacy in Terville on Friday. The police arrested a 40-year-old man later on that day on suspicion of carrying out the attacks. The suspect is to appear in court in Thionville on Sunday.
