Chinese tourists mugged, attacked in Paris; embassy warns of security risks

The Chinese embassy in Paris on Saturday urged Chinese tourists to raise vigilance and take precautions following the mugging and attack on Chinese nationals.

France has been faced with grim public security recently, and Paris region has reported a series of muggings and attacks against Chinese tourists and Chinese French, the embassy said in a statement posted on its website.

A group of 40 Chinese tourists was attacked and robbed on Thursday by four men near a hotel in Val-de Marne, Paris suburbs, local media reported.

The robbers sprayed the tourists with tear gas while they returned from their tour in the French capital. The assailants stole nine bags believed to be stuffed with luxury goods, according to local media reports.

The group of Chinese tourists has returned to China on Friday.

The Chinese embassy confirmed the robbery in the statement, saying it had contacted French police and urged police to solve the case and bring the perpetrators to justice as soon as possible.

"I heard screams, and when I looked out the window, I saw two people assaulting a Chinese guide, and I saw others using tear gas against the tourists. For an hour, it was an absolute panic ... Many of them (tourists) asked me to hide their luggage," a worker at the hotel where the tourists were staying told local daily Le Parisien.

Police opened an investigation into the robbery while search for the robbers was underway, the report added.