On Sunday, according to French weekly Le Point, an American diplomat posted at Unesco, and his wife were targeted by a thief as they in got stuck in heavy traffic.
The two US diplomats, who were traveling aboard their Lexus, saw an individual popping up a rock in his hand. The thief broke the front window on the passenger side and stole the purse that was placed on the lap of the wife of the First Secretary of the United States Permanent Delegation to UNESCO.
He fled, pursued by the diplomat who failed to find him. In his hurry, the perpetrator got rid of the bag and its contents, with the exception of the victim’s wallet containing a credit card and the keys of the couple’s home.
Police officers from their district were immediately notified. Housing monitoring has therefore been put in place. The victims lodged a complaint. At the time, the American diplomat was very slightly injured in the foot by shards of glass, but did not require hospitalization.
Police have since confirmed that they organised round-the-clock surveillance of the couple’s home.
A US embassy spokesperson declined to discuss the incident, but confirmed the attack to The Local: “We don’t discuss individual law enforcement issues due to privacy issues, but we can confirm an incident took place.”
Tourists have long been targeted by criminals in Paris. Now not only American diplomats, but also the Bahrain ambassador to France Muhammad Abdul Ghaffar had his wallet stolen on the Paris Metro, according to a report in Le Point magazine.
Thieves targeted him at Franklin Roosevelt Metro station, which has a reputation for criminality and thieves, especially on the section that runs through the wealthy western area of the city.
The modus operandi used by the thieves is well-known.
As one individual distracted the ambassador by making him think he had dropped something on the floor, another snatched his wallet from inside his pocket as he bent over to pick up the object. The thieves jumped off the train onto the station platform before the doors closed.
The ambassador reportedly tried to hold on to one of the thieves but the thief pushed him back and was able to get away.
The diplomat was not injured and he reported the theft to police.