Twelve people were injured, including two in critical condition, after a grenade was hurled into a crowded bar in the city of Grenoble, located in southeastern France.
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On the evening of Wednesday, February 12th, a gunman armed with an automatic rifle reportedly entered the bar and threw a grenade. He fled the scene without uttering a word, per French outlet Le Monde.
The grenade explosion happened at a bar in the Olympic Village neighborhood, an area originally constructed for the 1968 Winter Olympics. The incident occurred shortly after 8 p.m., with numerous patrons present at the time.
BREAKING: At least 12 injured, some critically, after a hand grenade was thrown into a bar in Grenoble, France. pic.twitter.com/lA7KHkXGmq
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 12, 2025
François Touret de Courcy, the local public prosecutor, characterized the attack as “an act of extreme violence.” While investigators have yet to determine a motive, he stated that there is no indication the incident was an act of terrorism.
Authorities are investigating whether the incident was linked to a turf war between local gangs. Grenoble and its surrounding suburbs have experienced numerous incidents tied to drug and cigarette trafficking.
Magistrate Christophe Barret stated that the attacker was reportedly armed with a Kalashnikov-style assault rifle, though it was not utilized during the incident.
The explosion shattered all the windows of the bar, operated by a local association. Six people were reported seriously injured, with two in critical condition. Three of the victims required emergency surgery.
Official Condemn Shocking Grenade Attack in Popular French Bar
Catherine Séguin, the prefect of the Isère department, condemned the incident as a “cowardly criminal act.”
“I condemn in the strongest possible terms this criminal act of extraordinary violence,” Grenoble mayor, Éric Piolle, wrote on X. He also expressed his gratitude to the emergency services for their dedicated efforts.
Meanwhile, France’s Health Minister, Yannick Neuder, visited the hospitalized victims the next day, delivering a strong condemnation of the attack. “This attack was one of extraordinary, quite unusual violence. When we consider a hand grenade … these are almost the techniques of war,” he said per The Guardian.
Pierre Bouzat, the coordinator of Grenoble Hospital’s emergency plan, echoed these sentiments in an interview with a local outlet. “The injuries are those normally seen in a war zone,” he told the outlet, per The Guardian.
Cecilio Sanchez, president of the Village-Olympique residents’ union, also commented on the attack.
“We have an Olympic village by day with local police who do a super job along with local residents,” Sanchez told a local outlet, per The Guardian. “And we have an Olympic village by night where there’s nobody to ensure the safety of residents. After a certain hour, the district is deserted. There are no longer any rules. Violence is everywhere. This is our daily life.”