A Libyan migrant has been arrested after a woman was raped in the bushes in front of the Eiffel Tower.
The attack took place near Paris's Champ-de-Mars early on Tuesday morning, and the 17-year-old suspect was taken into custody shortly afterwards.
Police evidence suggested it was 2.40am when the victim, a 32-year-old Ukrainian woman, was dragged into a bush by the suspect.
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A Libyan migrant has been arrested after a woman was raped in the bushes in front of the Eiffel Tower (file photo)
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She was then allegedly sexually assaulted and raped.
Police were alerted to the incident by the woman's screams, and the suspect, who was said to be drunk, was immediately arrested.
According to Le Parisien, the teenager said he was 17 years old and of Libyan nationality.
However, because he has no identity papers, this has not been confirmed.
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Police were alerted to the incident by the woman's screams (file photo)
|REUTERS
The prosecutor's office told Le Parisien: "His identity is currently being verified."
Sexual attacks at the famed tourist attraction are not uncommon.
Last March, Rachida Dati, the Mayor of the borough, said that "sexual assaults", " not to mention rapes", took place "every day" on the Champ-de-Mars, adding the area suffered from "under-equipment".
Paris police told Le Parisien: "In 2024, the police headquarters recorded one rape in the Champ-de-Mars area, compared to five in 2023, and seven sexual assaults, compared to nine in 2023."
Rachida Dati criticised the number of rapes taking place on the streets of Paris
|REUTERS
According to further figures from the French authorities, more than three quarters of rapes on Parisian streets in 2023 were committed by foreign nationals.
Some 97 rapes were recorded in public in the French capital - only one third of which were solved.
Of the 36 arrested, 28 were of foreign nationality, equating to 77 per cent of those accused.