On Friday afternoon (February 6), in the southeastern French city of Grenoble, a beauty salon was rocked by a grenade explosion, resulting in injuries to six people, including a child. Currently, two suspects are on the run, and the investigation is ongoing.
According to various media reports, the incident occurred around 3 pm local time on Friday, near the city center of Grenoble.
Surveillance footage captured the entire sequence of events. The video showed a masked man dressed in all black engaging in a brief altercation with a woman at the entrance of the beauty salon. The brave woman attempted to prevent the assailant from entering the salon, which was filled with customers, but was unsuccessful. The perpetrator then pulled out a grenade, appeared to pull the pin, threw it into the shop, and forcefully closed the door behind him. A child could be seen sitting on a chair at the time.
As the suspects fled the scene, the grenade detonated, emitting a bright flash of flames inside the beauty salon.
The Isère Prefecture Government reported that initial findings indicated six people were injured by the blast impact, including a five-year-old child, fortunately, all sustaining minor injuries. They received care from emergency personnel at the scene and did not require hospitalization.
A neighbor on the same street as the beauty salon described hearing a “huge bang” when the grenade exploded. He added, “I quickly went downstairs and saw people covered in blood, frantically shouting.”
According to reporters from Agence France-Presse (AFP) at the scene, the beauty salon is located on the ground floor of a multi-story residential building surrounded by various shops. The force of the explosion shattered the street-facing windows of the salon.
Following a preliminary investigation, Grenoble prosecutor Etienne Manteaux pointed out that the incident was a premeditated act of “intimidation.” Two suspects collaborated in the attack: one threw the explosive device into the salon, while the other recorded the entire incident.
Manteaux emphasized, “The explosive was not intended to kill but to intimidate,” noting that it contained a small amount of explosive material and did not include metal fragments designed to enhance lethality.
More concerning is that the perpetrators uploaded the video of the incident to social media to amplify its impact. Manteaux stated that this reflected an “escalation of brazen behavior by criminals.”
French authorities disclosed that the suspects threw a device resembling a “grenade,” but its exact nature is still pending final assessment.
Currently, the Isère Prefecture Government has not commented on the cause of the explosion. The police are investigating this broad daylight attack and are working tirelessly to apprehend the fugitive suspects while determining their motives behind the crime.