More than 1,000 cars burned in France on New Year's Eve

The number of cars set on fire in France on New Year's Eve has increased to more than 1,000, TASS reports, citing updated statistics published by the Ministry of Internal Affairs

"We have recorded an increase [compared to last year] in the number of cars damaged by fire (both due to direct arson and fire spread): 1,173 cars burned, while last year there were 984," the communiqué reads. Meanwhile, in the first half of the day, BFMTV, citing a law enforcement source, reported that 813 cars were set on fire overnight.

On New Year's Eve, police were attacked by hooligans several times, with most incidents occurring in the north and east of the country, and the most serious clashes recorded in Strasbourg. Despite this, the Ministry of the Interior believes that these incidents were less serious than last year.

In total, police and gendarmes detained 505 people on New Year's Eve, 403 of whom were taken into custody. In Paris, 125 people were detained, 75 of whom were remanded in custody, mostly for violence and vandalism. The Paris Prefecture of Police emphasized that no cars were set on fire in the capital overnight. No arson attacks on city infrastructure were reported.