In the French city of Marseille, a 15-year-old boy was stabbed 50 times and then burned alive on Wednesday, prosecutors say. The violence took place in the drug world and led to another murder, French media, including Le Parisien , report .
Public prosecutor Nicolas Bessone spoke at a press conference of “unprecedented cruelty”. According to Bessone, the 15-year-old boy had been hired by a 23-year-old prisoner to intimidate a competitor.
The prisoner had promised 2,000 euros for setting fire to an apartment door. The prosecutor said a rival gang saw the boy was armed and then killed him.
The same prisoner is said to have recruited a 14-year-old boy for a revenge attack. This teenager was to receive 50,000 euros for the murder of a gang member. According to the prosecutor, the boy hired a 36-year-old driver with whom he had an argument last Friday. He then shot the driver dead. The victim was not involved in the drug trade.
Marseille has long been dealing with drug violence, including over control of the market. The death toll in France’s second city is 17 this year, up from 49 last year. According to prosecutor Bessone, the perpetrators and victims are getting younger.
