A fourty-one-year-old female attacked four American female tourists in a train station in the city of Marseille in Southern France today. According to an article in the New York Times, the authorities say that the woman who attacked the tourists did not shout anything before splashing the four young women with acid as is customary in jihadi acid attacks. All four women were treated at an area hospital, two for injuries and the other two for shock.

Investigators did mention that the attacker has a “psychiatric history”, which is frankly not shocking. I should think that one would have to have a psychiatric history in order to be demented enough to attack another human being by splashing acid on them. However, in my opinion, we should keep an eye on this as it develops because although the woman did not shout the usual words “Allah Ackbar” that customarily precede a jihadi attack I suspect that we will find out that at the very least this individual has had contact with Islamists.

The survivors of this cowardly attack are all women in their early twenties who were in front of the Saint- Charles train station who were in France as part of a study abroad program through Boston College. Boston College issued a statement identifying the students as Courtney Siverling, Charlotte Kaufman, Michelle Krug and Kelsey Kosten. All of them are juniors and had recently arrived to start their fall semester. One of the students appears to have been hit in the eye and the two who sustained facial injuries will need further treatment. The attack follows similar attacks in Zanzibar and more recently in London where attackers sprayed Western women with acid causing severe facial burns.

This certainly follows the previous MO of jihadi attackers though and brings to mind the actions of Islamist institutions like Iran’s “Morality Police” who are known to arrest or chastise women who they do not believe are observing the “modesty” required of women in that faith. Either way, as this story develops I will be hoping that whoever injured these young women comes to justice-and swiftly.