Man arrested after viral video of alleged attempted rape on Paris train

According to local media reports, a suspect was arrested after footage went viral showing an alleged attempted rape of a woman on a train near Paris.

Brazilian citizen Jhordana Dias, 26, was allegedly attacked earlier this month. The man got on the train, pushed her and tried to take off her underwear, she told Le Parisien newspaper.

Another passenger, alerted by her screams, took out her phone to take a video. The footage shows a man running away as the train approaches the station.

The incident reignited debate about women’s safety in France.

A man was arrested by transport police in Mantes-la-Jolie, northwest of Paris, on Friday evening, according to French media. He was tracked there by investigators, but it is unclear how.

According to media reports, he did not have any identification documents at the time of his arrest, but he told police that he was a 26-year-old Egyptian citizen. He remains in custody.

The alleged incident occurred on October 15 between Choisy-le-Roi and Villeneuve-le-Roi train stations in southeast Paris.

In the video, a man wearing black tracksuits and a hat is seen in a carriage.

Amidst a woman’s screams, the woman filming can be heard saying “you stay there” as the man begins to approach her.

The train then pulls up to a station and the man gets off and runs off the platform.

The woman who filmed the incident, identified only as Marguerite in the French media, has since been widely credited with saving Ms Dias from a more serious attack.

Ms Dias, who does not speak French, reportedly filed a complaint with the Choisy-le-Roi police with the help of her brother, who translated her statement.

The images received wide coverage in the press and social media. encourages many women to share their experiences of harassment on public transport in France.

Two more women later told Le Parisian that they were victims of the same man.