Nightclub needle attacks are on the rise across Europe, and authorities are unclear how to respond.
Doctors and multiple prosecutors are pursuing incidents, but no one knows who is doing it or why. It’s also unclear whether the victims are being injected with drugs or any substance at all. Nightclub owners across Europe are raising awareness about the attacks. A rapper even interrupted a recent show to warn concert-goers about surprise needle attacks.
The attacks aren’t just happening in one country in Europe, either. France has reported more than 300 cases of needle attacks, while Britain’s government warns of ‘needle spiking’ happening at clubs in the United Kingdom. Reports of needle attacks in Belgium and the Netherlands have been found online, too.
“18-year-old Tomas Laux attended a rap concert in Lille in Northern France, where he smoked a bit of marijuana and drank some alcohol during the show,” reports NPR. “When he came home, he told the Associated Press he was feeling dizzy and had a headache. He spotted a strange little skin puncture on his arm, along with a bruise.”
The next morning when the symptoms didn’t disappear, Tomas went to a doctor. His doctor advised him to go to the emergency room. While there, medics confirmed he was priced with a needle. He was tested for hepatitis and HIV, but both results came out negative. “I’ve given up going to concerts since it happened,” Laux told AP.
Another woman named Leanne Desnos reported feeling the same after attending a nightclub in the city of Bordeaux. She says she passed out the next day and felt dizzy and had hot flashes. When she got home, she saw the injection mark on her arm. The targeted individuals appear to be mostly women and France’s national police agency says it has received more than 300 reports about such needle pricks. Several police investigations are ongoing, but there’s no suspect to arrest and no needles have been found.