French forces have arrested nine people for possessing weapons and drugs during a large-scale operation in the country's eastern city of Dijon, a recent source of violent clashes between members of a local Maghreb community and Chechen immigrants, Dijon prosecutor Eric Mathais said on Monday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2020) French forces have arrested nine people for possessing weapons and drugs during a large-scale operation in the country's eastern city of Dijon, a recent source of violent clashes between members of a local Maghreb community and Chechen immigrants, Dijon prosecutor Eric Mathais said on Monday.
The raid started early on Monday in Les Gresilles, the former epicenter of the unrest, and involved nearly 120 security officers.
"Nine people were arrested in the districts of Les Gresilles and Saint-Apollinaire. All were taken into custody," Mathais said in a statement, published on his Twitter.
The prosecutor added that the security officers also seized weapons, drugs, as well as pharmacy scales and packaging material.
The unrest in Dijon broke out late on June 12, when a group of Chechen immigrants gathered in the city to take revenge on local Maghreb community members over an attack on a Chechen teenager. Violent clashes between the two communities lasted for four days and were followed by a series of detentions and arrests by police.
According to media reports, representatives of both communities subsequently agreed to stop the violence on Wednesday. Nevertheless, police continue to investigate the incident.
