A man who claimed to be a 17-year-old Libyan has been arrested after the rape of a 32-year-old Ukrainian woman near the Eiffel Tower in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
As Le Parisien reported, the attack occurred around 2:40 a.m. on the Champ de Mars, when the suspect, reportedly intoxicated, dragged the victim into the bushes and raped her. The woman’s screams quickly alerted a police patrol from the Night Crime Squad, which intervened and arrested the suspect.
He was taken into custody at the 14th arrondissement police station, with the case transferred to the judicial police by the Paris prosecutor’s office.
The suspect had no identification and has yet to present any, leaving authorities at a loss to verify his claims. The case highlights a recurring tactic among migrant offenders, who often present themselves as minors to secure more lenient treatment from authorities.
The assault is the latest in a troubling series of sex crimes around the Eiffel Tower. Previous incidents include the rape of a Mexican tourist in the summer of 2023, the rape of an English police officer later that year, and the assault of two Latvian women last fall.
Several men were arrested in connection with the attack on the Latvian women, including two Algerians and two Egyptians, while three other suspects managed to escape undetected.
Security at the site has become a political issue. In March, borough mayor Rachida Dati told residents that sexual assaults, “not to mention rapes,” were taking place “every day” at the Champ de Mars, accusing authorities of under-equipping the area.
The authorities insist that heavy surveillance of the area has been installed, with more than 100 cameras covering the lawns and the nearby Trocadéro gardens, but critics say the measures have not prevented repeated attacks.
