French TGV halted by flare wielding youths

A French high-speed train travelling from Marseille to Nice has been stopped in its tracks by a group of youths.

The gang lit flares and blocked the line forcing the driver to bring the locomotive to a halt.

The incident happened close to Bel Air to the north of Marseille, an area that poses a security concern, according to French police.

Passengers on the train described what happened:

“They weren’t armed, they had flares, little jerks, around 16 or 18 showing off with their little scooters,” said one man

“They had torches, getting cocky in their suburb, the police arrived and they disappeared,” said another.

The gang attempted to board the train to rob the 150 passengers on board and create an Internet buzz, according to authorities.

Police made ten arrests.

It is the first time that a TGV has been involved in such an incident and is a major cause for concern for the security services.

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