World · Europe · 1 day ago
Teen injured by grenade in Lens denies picking it up
A 15-year-old boy was seriously injured when a stun grenade exploded in his hand near a school blockade in Lens, in northern France, on October 5.
His hand was torn off, and he remains in hospital.
The boy denies picking up the grenade and says he took no part in violence, according to his lawyer.
The prosecutor's initial account says he picked it up after the grenade landed among protesters.
The prosecutor said witness accounts from police and other people mostly supported that version, with one exception.
The boy's mother has filed a complaint over his injuries.
Investigators are expected to question him when doctors say he is well enough.
A 15-year-old injured by a stun grenade during a school blockade in Lens denies picking it up, his lawyer says.
The teenager lost a hand when the grenade exploded on 5 October.
The prosecutor in Béthune said initial investigative findings indicated the teenager picked up the grenade before it exploded.
The teenager’s lawyer said he denies taking part in violence and had not yet been questioned by police.
He remains in hospital and will be interviewed when doctors allow it.
- Who
- A 15-year-old boy, identified by his lawyer as Evan, was injured.
- What
- A stun grenade exploded in his hand, causing him to lose a hand. He denies picking it up.
- When
- 5 October 2026.
- Where
- Near a blockade by students at Lycée Auguste Béhal in Lens, Pas-de-Calais, France.
- Why
- The sources do not establish why the grenade exploded in his hand. The prosecutor said he picked it up; the teenager denies doing so.
The teenager and his family
The prosecutor in Béthune
What happened
The teenager and his family
The teenager denies picking up the grenade that exploded and denies participating in violence.
The prosecutor in Béthune
The prosecutor said initial findings indicated that the teenager picked up the grenade before it exploded.
Evidence
The teenager and his family
His lawyer said the teenager had not yet been heard by police.
The prosecutor in Béthune
The prosecutor said accounts from law enforcement and other people present converged, with one exception.
Evan formally contests the version of events adopted by the prosecutor: he denies having picked up the grenade that exploded and denies any participation in violence.
The grenade was fired from a long distance (80 m) and landed on the ground before several demonstrators approached it and one of them picked it up until it exploded.
A stun grenade exploded in the teenager’s hand near a student blockade in Lens.
The teenager’s mother was heard and filed a complaint over her son’s injuries.
The prosecutor said initial findings indicated the teenager had picked up the grenade.
The teenager’s lawyer said he denied picking up the grenade and participating in violence.
- Age
- 15
- Injury
- Lost a hand when a stun grenade exploded
- Incident date
- 5 October 2026
- Location
- Near Lycée Auguste Béhal, Lens, Pas-de-Calais
- Grenade distance
- Fired from 80 m, according to the prosecutor
- Hospital status
- The teenager remained hospitalised as of 10 October
Sources
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