A man was arrested on Tuesday evening on a train travelling between Nice and Marseille, near Toulon. He is suspected of killing a homeless man of Moldavian origin with a cinder block in central Lyon on the night of November 12, according to information obtained by H24 NEWS from the police. The victim was found with a large head wound and a bloody cinder block lying nearby

The suspect may also be involved in similar attacks in France and abroad. Comparable attacks, notably in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, follow a similar modus operandi. There, the broadcasting of CCTV images caused a stir in public opinion.

According to a source close to the investigation, the individual, himself homeless, is currently being identified.

Judicial investigation opened into attempted homicide in Evry

The Évry public prosecutor’s office has confirmed that an attack took place on October 23 on the Evry-Courcouronnes station forecourt. A homeless man, who was asleep at the time, was violently hit in the face with a concrete block by a man who then fled the scene. Urgently rushed to hospital with a life-threatening prognosis, the victim eventually survived, but was given 45 days’ total incapacity for work.

On Tuesday, a judicial investigation into the attempted homicide was opened, and an arrest warrant was issued for the suspect for the events of October 23.

Similar attacks in Europe

On the night of November 4-5, a similar incident took place in Rotterdam. A 37-year-old homeless man sustained serious head injuries from a cinder block, and remains in a coma. The Dutch police have released images of the suspect in the hope of identifying and arresting him.

Other related cases

The wave of violence targeting homeless people in France and the Netherlands raises serious concerns. Alongside the homicide investigation into the murder of a homeless man in Lyon, these cases point to a possible series of similar, possibly related assaults.