An arrest after the tragedy. A 20-year-old young man was taken into police custody on Thursday, suspected of being the author of the stabbing which cost the life of a 14-year-old teenager on Wednesday evening in Saint-Denis, AFP learned from source close to the file. This resident of the town presented himself to the police, added this source, specifying that the motives for the murder were not yet known.
Stabbing and kicking
Around 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Sedan, a 14-year-old teenager, was stabbed to death on the line 13 platform at the Basilique de Saint-Denis metro station. He was stabbed in the back and kicked and punched, according to a police source. The boy was seriously injured before dying on the spot, despite cardiac massage being carried out by firefighters.
This homicide took place in a context of rising tensions between several neighborhoods of the town for several days, the municipality explained to the press, without a link being formally established with the facts.
The town hall prohibits all gatherings
The town hall issued an order on Thursday prohibiting “all groupings and gatherings of people leading to abusive, prolonged occupations of the public domain affecting order and security […] until Monday January 22 at noon. The police system already in place has also been strengthened. “Dozens of police crews are mobilized […] around schools and places frequented by young people. The watchword is to dissuade and be visible,” according to the Saint-Denis commissioner.
The mayor also invited parents to “encourage adolescents and young people to stay at home in the coming days outside of school hours and after-school activities.” If minors are not specifically mentioned in the decree, the objective is to avoid a “return match”, in the event that the hypothesis of inter-district brawls is confirmed. A gathering in tribute to the schoolboy will be organized on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. on the square in front of the Town Hall.