A 29-year-old man from Mali was taken into custody in France on Thursday, accused of slaughtering and cutting up dead goats in an underground car park in what authorities described as a “savage butchery.”
As reported by Le Figaro, the incident unfolded late on Thursday morning in Nantes when a local resident alerted police to a foul smell coming from the car park on boulevard Gaston Serpette. Upon arrival, officers found pools of blood spreading beyond a plastic tarpaulin, pieces of flesh strewn across the floor, and the mutilated bodies of six goats.
“It was a savage butchery, there was blood everywhere,” said a source from the Nantes police, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the investigation.
The suspect, who was found at the scene with knives and hatchets in his possession, was immediately arrested and placed in police custody.
During questioning, the man told police that a friend had given him the goats — which he claimed were already dead — to cut up for food. He insisted that he was unaware such a practice is illegal in France, particularly in non-regulated environments.
Authorities said the underground car park where the slaughter took place is jointly rented by the Ministry of the Sea and the postal service, La Poste. The origin of the animals remains unknown.
No formal complaints have been filed, but both the Society for the Protection of Animals (SPA) and the animal welfare organization Urgence Maltraitance Animale have been notified.
The man, who was previously unknown to police and had no criminal record, may face charges related to the illegal slaughter of animals and potential breaches of public health or safety regulations.
Police are continuing their investigation to determine the source of the goats and whether others were involved.