The incident happened at the Saint-Charles train station in Marseille, France on Sunday morning. A woman sprayed acid on four young female tourists from the U.S., leading to an arrest. According to a spokeswoman, the fire department in Marseille was called out shortly after 11 a.m. with 14 firefighters and four vehicles dispatched to the train station. The incident is not at present considered to be terror-related, as according to French officials, the 41-year-old female suspect appears to be mentally disturbed.

Four American tourists sprayed with hydrochloric acid

According to a spokeswoman for the Marseille prosecutor’s office, all four women, who were not identified but are in their 20s, were hospitalized after the woman sprayed hydrochloric acid in their faces. Two of the women are being treated for shock while the other two have sustained eye injuries. According to a police source, the two women who were treated for shock were discharged from the hospital in the afternoon.

While the spokeswoman – who spoke under the condition of anonymity under French law – did say that there were no obvious indications that the attack was terror-related, she said at such an early stage in the investigation, officials cannot 100 percent rule out the possibility of terror links, however.

No further details were released about the suspect or the four women and it is unknown where in the United States the four victims are from.

No terrorist declarations were made in the attack

According to authorities, the 41-year-old suspect made no terrorist declarations or threats and appears to be suffering from mental health issues.

Police said the woman did not appear to choose victims based on their nationality, but targeted those standing closest to her at the time. The police source said the woman was known to them for theft.

USA Today reported that the French newspaper La Provence quoted Marseille police as saying that the woman had a history of psychological issues and that she did not attempt to flee following the attack on the four women.

A spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Paris told AP that consulate officials are coordinating with French authorities relating to the acid attack investigation and to the condition of the four U.S. tourists. However, they would not comment further to protect the women’s privacy.

As reported by Deutsche Welle, in August a woman was killed in Marseille when a driver rammed into two bus stops. However, police did not consider the incident to be terror-related, despite the deliberate nature of the attack.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED