Four US tourists attacked with acid at French train station identified as college students

The four American tourists injured when acid was thrown on them at a French train station have been identified as Boston College university students.

Marseille acid attack

Passengers at Marseille-Saint-Charles railway station France where four young US tourists were attacked with acid. Source: AP

The four American tourists who French authorities say were attacked with acid at a train station in the city of Marseille are students at Boston College in Massachusetts.

The four female students were treated for burns at a Marseille hospital after being sprayed in the face with acid on Sunday morning but have now been released, the private Jesuit college said in a statement.

All four women were junior students with three of them at the college's Paris program.
The college's Office of International Programs director Nick Gozik says "it appears that the students are fine, considering the circumstances".

The students were identified as Courtney Siverling, Charlotte Kaufman, Michelle Krug and Kelsey Kosten.

A 41-year-old woman was arrested after the attack.

Boston College says police described the suspect as "disturbed" and French authorities are not treating the incident as a terrorist attack at this time.

The Paris prosecutor's office said its counter-terrorism division had not assumed jurisdiction for the attack at Marseille's main train station.

The prosecutor's office has responsibility for all terror-related cases in France.

A spokeswoman for Marseille's prosecutor said earlier the woman arrested as a suspect in the attack did not make any extremist declarations, but said officials could not rule out terror as a motive so early in the investigation.

Regional newspaper La Provence, quoting unidentified police officials, reported the suspect had a history of mental health problems and did not try to flee the site of the attack.

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Four US tourists attacked with acid at French train station identified as college students | SBS News