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A suspect has been arrested after footage that appears to capture the alleged attempted rape of a woman on a train near Paris went viral, local media say.
Jordana Diaz, a 26-year-old Brazilian national, was attacked earlier this month. She told Le Parisien newspaper that the man got on the train, pushed her and tried to pull off her underwear.
Alarmed by her screams, another passenger pulled out his phone to take a picture. The footage captured a man running away as the train stopped at a station.
The incident has revived discussions about the safety of women in France.
According to French media, a man was arrested on Friday evening by transport police in Mont-la-Jolie, northwest of Paris. There he was searched by the investigators, but it is not clear how.
He was not carrying identification at the time of his arrest, but told police he was a 26-year-old Egyptian national, media reported. He remains in custody.
The alleged incident took place on October 15 between Choisy-le-Roi and Villeneuve-le-Roi train stations, southeast of Paris.
The video shows a man wearing a black tracksuit and a hat on board a carriage.
As well as the sound of a woman screaming, the woman taking the picture can be heard saying “you stay there” as the man appears to start walking towards her.
The train then pulls into a station, the man gets off and runs down the platform.
The woman who filmed the incident, named in French media only as Marguerite, has since been credited with saving Ms Diaz from a more serious attack.
Ms Diaz, who does not speak French, reportedly lodged a complaint with police in Choisy-le-Roi with the help of her brother, who translated her statement.
The footage has been widely circulated in news outlets and social media. prompting many women to share their own experiences with harassment on public transport in France.
Two other women then told Le Parisian that they were victims of the same man.
