Doubts Are Raised in Paris Attack

Police patrolled suburban trains and studied surveillance videotapes Monday, trying to track down six youths who allegedly scrawled swastikas on a young mother aboard a suburban train. But doubts surfaced in news reports about the woman’s story.

The 23-year-old woman told police she was robbed by a knife-wielding gang while riding the train with her infant Friday morning. She said she was mistreated after being mistaken for a Jew and told police that none of about 20 witnesses came to her rescue.

Investigators trying to track down the culprits had almost no clues to guide them.

Surveillance cameras at the station where the culprits reportedly left the train showed no young men running from the scene, and no witnesses have come forward despite repeated calls from officials and promises of anonymity.

Both France Info radio and television station LCI reported that the young woman had filed several complaints about violence and aggressive treatment in the past. Those reports could not immediately be confirmed.

Despite the doubts, officials continued to issue statements of shock and calls to fight anti-Semitism and bystander passiveness.