Suicide attempt foiled with aid of Facebook
Published: 27 Feb 2013 15:15 GMT+01:00 | Print version
Updated: 27 Feb 2013 15:15 GMT+01:00
A young man from the south of France who announced his intention to commit suicide on his Facebook page was saved after youngsters hundreds of miles away saw his post and alerted authorities.
The 24-year-old from the city of Nice had posted a suicide note on his Facebook wall on Tuesday in which he said goodbye to his friends, warning them that "it was not a joke", French daily Nice Matin reported.
The distressing post was seen by two young boys hundreds of miles away in the north of France who had been playing with the man on the social media site.
The pair immediately showed their mother who alerted police to the Facebook post. Facing an apparent race against time, officers contacted the police department that deals with cyber-crime in the hope they could track down the young man.
With the necessary legal permission, investigators from the department were able to find the young man’s address and send a team to his house.
After breaking the door down, they found him lying in his bed with his wrists slashed. He was taken to hospital, where his life is not believed to be in danger.
Today's headlines
IMF chief Lagarde face Frecnh court this week. Photo: AFP
French prosecutors investigating corruption are set to decide on Thursday whether to charge IMF chief Christine Lagarde over her handling of a row that resulted in a €400 million payout being paid to disgraced businessman Bernard Tapie.
READ () »
Bill Clinton tells the French to be positive in his interview with Europe1 radio. Photo: screenshot Europe1.
The former US President Bill Clinton had a message for the French public on a visit to Paris this week - “don’t be too pessimistic”.
READ () »
Lebanese Shiite Muslim Hezbollah militants ride on a vehicle carrying a Fajr 5 missile during an annual parade. Photo Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP
France is to call for the military arm of Hezbollah to be added to an EU terror blacklist due to its backing of the Syrian regime, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius announced on Wednesday.
READ () »
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was evacuated for the second time in two days on Wednesday when a topless feminist staged a mock suicide in front of the altar the day after far-right historian Dominique Venner shot himself in the church.
READ () »
Libyan security services and civilians gather across the street after a car bomb attack on the French embassy in Tripoli, Libya on April 23rd. Photo: Mahmud Turkia/AFP
France is to shell out millions of euros on increasing security around its embassies in Africa and the Middle East, the French foreign office announced on Wednesday. The move comes after a car bomb attack on its Libyan embassy last month.
READ () »
Opinion - Elitism in France
France's National Assembly where the corridors are patrolled by an elite who are not good at doing their job, argues author Peter Gumbel. Photo: Ell Brown.
There is no egalité when it comes to France’s ruling class, which is dominated by an elite clique where a ‘jobs for the boys’ culture prevails, argues British author Peter Gumbel in his new book. Here he tells The Local how this elitism is holding France back.
READ () »
Ryan Gosling's new film Only God Forgives did not go down too well at Cannes. Photo: Ed Van-West
Boos rang out at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday for a blood-spattered revenge tale starring Ryan Gosling as a US fugitive running a Bangkok drugs racket and Kristin Scott Thomas as a cross between "Lady Macbeth and Donatella Versace."
READ () »
French workers protest at propsed factory closures. Photo: AFP
The fight by French workers against Britain-based steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal has inspired a new online game in which strikers can attack police. The game is called "Kill Mittal", despite its creators insisting it is not designed to incite violence.
READ () »
Wealthy women in Paris are being kidnapped and robbed for their jewellery. Photo: InterGem Jewellery
French police fear a gang of robbers is specifically targeting wealthy women in Paris after the second victim in a matter of weeks was kidnapped and forced to hand over tens of thousands of euros worth of valuables.
READ () »
Sylvie Andrieux was jailed for misappropriation of public funds on Wenesday. Photo: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP
The French President François Hollande’s bid to clean up French politics suffered an early setback on Wednesday when one of his parliamentary deputies was jailed for misappropriation of public money.
READ () »
Your comments about this article:
The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.