Three French teens are in custody after beating a Gentile locksmith so badly he required hospitalization five months ago, because he worked for a firm that had a “Jewish-sounding name.”
All three of the teens were age 15, according to a report published Sunday in Le Figaro. The ethnicity and names of the teens were not released. All three were arrested and are being held at a juvenile detention facility in Meaux, east of Paris.
The teens apparently decided to launch their attack after hearing a radio commercial for the firm, according to a police source quoted by the Paris-based daily. The gang ordered a service from the locksmith firm over the phone, directing him to an address in the eastern Paris suburb of Bussy-Saint-Georges.
When the locksmith arrived, the teens allegedly sprayed tear gas in his face, beat him up and then threatened to kill him. At least one brandished a knife, according to the report.
The only suspect recognized by the victim in a lineup has denied having any connection to the attack. But in addition to being fingered in a lineup, hate speech against Jews was found written in text messages on his mobile phone.
A second suspect has confessed to ordering the locksmith service. A third suspect has admitted to being at the scene of the crime.