France: Arrest of an Egyptian youth who attempted to rape a Brazilian woman on a train

The French police arrested an Egyptian youth northwest of Paris on charges of sexual assault against a Brazilian woman on one of the trains, according to Le Parisien newspaper.

Investigations revealed that the incident occurred on October 15 between the train stations of Choisy-le-Roi and Villeneuve-le-Roi southeast of Paris, when the accused boarded the train before the doors closed and noticed the woman alone in the carriage, beginning to physically assault her by slapping, biting, and choking, attempting to remove her clothes and force her to kiss him.

One of the passengers managed to document the incident on video, while another passenger intervened to rescue the victim, who is known as Dias, and did not speak French, so she filed a complaint with the help of her brother who translated her testimony. Her brother stated that Dias had left Brazil two months ago fleeing domestic violence, adding: "She came to France seeking peace, but she did not find it here. We demand justice for what happened to her".

The video showed the accused wearing a black tracksuit and a cap as he approached the victim before fleeing from the train at one of the stations. Reports indicate that two other women confirmed they were assaulted by the same man.

It is noteworthy that the young man, who is 26 years old, did not have identification documents at the time of his arrest, but he confirmed to the police that he is an Egyptian citizen, and he remains in custody.

For its part, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it is following the case and providing consular support to the Brazilian citizen residing in France, while the video spread widely in the media and social media, sparking a broad discussion about harassment and sexual assaults in French public transport.