Racketeering and fire-setting attempts in Panier restaurants in Marseille
Three restaurants in the Panier district of Marseille were targeted by intimidation and fire-setting attempts over a ten-day period. A suspect was arrested after an intrusion captured on CCTV.
Marseille: Panier restaurants targeted by organised crime
France Info reports that at least three restaurants in the Panier district of Marseille have been targeted within the space of around ten days, victims of intimidation, vandalism and fire-setting attempts attributed by police to organised crime and drug traffickers.
The most serious incident occurred on Tuesday, 25 August at 22:50, a few minutes before a restaurant's closing time. Two masked men burst into the brasserie whilst two customers were still seated at tables. One of the individuals was carrying a red jerrycan filled with petrol, which he poured onto the floor, spraying a customer in the process who fled.
Restaurant owner tackles the attacker
As the second man was about to set fire to the premises, the establishment's owner rushed at him without hesitation. Whilst his accomplice calmly left the scene, a fight broke out. The masked man struggled violently before managing to escape.
It was thanks to the city's CCTV cameras that a suspect was able to be located at the wheel of his vehicle, five kilometres from the restaurant, and arrested shortly after. Three other suspects remain actively sought. An investigation has been opened for attempted murder and destruction by fire.
Increasingly widespread methods
According to Marseille police, these practices are rising sharply in the city. Rudy Mana, spokesman for UNSA Police, described the modus operandi to France Info teams: "When the shop owner refuses to pay, they come to threaten, they come to fire shots at the front of the establishment or they come outright with jerrycans of petrol to burn down the establishment or at least try to burn it down."
Mana added that these techniques are "increasingly frequent in Marseille because racketeering is spreading, becoming more generalised in this city". Law enforcement sees in these acts the hallmark of organised crime and drug trafficking networks seeking to extort money from shopkeepers who refuse to submit to their financial demands.
A phenomenon affecting several establishments
The facts that occurred on Tuesday do not constitute an isolated incident. Over a period of around ten days, the Panier district — one of Marseille's oldest and most touristy neighbourhoods — has witnessed several acts of this type targeting restaurant owners. CCTV footage played a central role in the identification and arrest of the suspect.
The investigation, entrusted to criminal investigation services, aims to establish all those responsible and locate the three individuals still at large.
Source: France Info