An Egyptian migrant subject to an unenforced deportation order has been charged over the attempted rape of a young Brazilian woman aboard a commuter train near Paris, French authorities announced on Sunday evening.
The Créteil public prosecutor’s office said it had requested the 26-year-old suspect be placed in pre-trial detention and that a judicial investigation had been opened “to identify other potential victims.”
The attack occurred on Oct. 15 between Villeneuve-le-Roi and Choisy-le-Roi, in Val-de-Marne. The victim, Jhordana, a 26-year-old Brazilian woman who had recently moved to France, told Le Parisien that the man approached her without speaking. “He walked towards me without speaking. I was panicking, I stood up. Then he pushed me, still without a word. I tried to escape, but he pulled down my pants. It’s clear he was trying to rape me. He strangled me to make me shut up. Then I felt like I had no more strength,” she said.
Her cries drew the attention of another passenger, Marguerite, who intervened, filming the man and forcing him to flee. “I saw his mouth, his hands touching her. Something had to be done. I took out my phone and filmed. I told him I was going to call the police, I asked him to back off,” Marguerite told the newspaper.
🇫🇷‼️ A Brazilian tourist was subjected to a vicious sexual assault on a French train on Wednesday morning, and only escaped being raped thanks to the intervention of a brave woman who filmed the assailant to scare him off.
Jhordana, 26, had been visiting her brother in Paris.… pic.twitter.com/pxOTu4fZXf
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) October 19, 2025Regional president Valérie Pécresse later praised the woman’s “bravery” and said she would be awarded the Île-de-France medal. Jhordana, left bruised and traumatized, was granted five days of medical leave.
The suspect was tracked down and arrested nine days later in Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines) after investigators used CCTV footage, witness statements, and mobile phone data. Police found him carrying a bag containing a box of permanent hair dye, suggesting he had intended to alter his appearance to evade capture, according to French media.
During questioning, the man reportedly admitted to being involved in an “altercation” with the victim but denied any sexual intent. Prosecutors confirmed he is of Egyptian nationality, 26 years old, under an order to leave French territory (OQTF), and not previously known to law enforcement.
Jhordana’s lawyer, Eduardo Mariotti, said his client “praises the efficiency of the investigators’ work, which led to the rapid arrest of the individual.”
Since the footage of the attack was circulated on social media, police have received additional reports from women who recognized the suspect.
One 20-year-old student said he had sat beside her on the same train line and began “touching himself” beneath his clothing, while another woman’s daughter said her mother had experienced similar behavior weeks earlier.
Prosecutors have asked any further victims to come forward as the investigation continues.
