Five people have been arrested after a 17-year-old boy died following what French prosecutors described as a premeditated ambush at a construction site in the southern city of Narbonne. The victim, identified in French media as Louis, was found unconscious by construction workers around 14 hours after the attack last Friday. He died three days later in hospital in Perpignan.

Authorities say the suspects were identified with the help of video footage allegedly recorded by the attackers during the assault.Speaking at a press conference, Prosecutor Jean-Philippe Rey said investigators believed the attack had been planned in advance. “The evidence gathered suggests that these extremely serious acts were premeditated and that the accused had set a trap for the victim by luring him into a construction site to beat him to death,” he said.

The suspects were initially charged with attempted murder. Prosecutors say those charges are expected to be upgraded following the victim’s death, with the accused potentially facing life sentences if convicted.

According to the regional newspaper L’Indépendant, police arrested five suspects, including two 19-year-olds and three minors. Investigators said they identified the suspects after reviewing graphic footage allegedly filmed during the attack.

Authorities have not released details of the contents of the video. Reports say it shows multiple assailants attacking the victim before one of them poses beside him while he lies seriously injured.

Narbonne Deputy Police Commissioner Ludovic Vinolas said the suspects had “few or no prior criminal records” and that some were not residents of the city.

Investigators believe the suspects may have known the victim through the foster-care network in the Occitanie region, where Louis had reportedly been placed at his family’s request.

Police have not announced a motive for the attack.

The killing has prompted widespread reaction on social media, where some users described the attackers as a “migrant gang” and claimed the victim had been targeted because he was white.

French authorities have not commented on the suspects’ citizenship, immigration status or ethnicity.

Right-wing politician Marine Le Pen said the case reflected what she described as “everyday barbarity that can no longer be minimized, downplayed, or concealed.” She added that a victory for her National Rally party in next year’s presidential election would put an end to what she called “ideological blindness in the face of this savagery and this unbearable ultraviolence.”

Five people have been arrested after a 17-year-old boy died following what French prosecutors described as a premeditated ambush at a construction site in the southern city of Narbonne. The victim, identified in French media as Louis, was found unconscious by construction workers around 14 hours after the attack last Friday. He died three days later in hospital in Perpignan.

Authorities say the suspects were identified with the help of video footage allegedly recorded by the attackers during the assault.

Speaking at a press conference, Prosecutor Jean-Philippe Rey said investigators believed the attack had been planned in advance. “The evidence gathered suggests that these extremely serious acts were premeditated and that the accused had set a trap for the victim by luring him into a construction site to beat him to death,” he said.

The suspects were initially charged with attempted murder. Prosecutors say those charges are expected to be upgraded following the victim’s death, with the accused potentially facing life sentences if convicted.

According to the regional newspaper L’Indépendant, police arrested five suspects, including two 19-year-olds and three minors. Investigators said they identified the suspects after reviewing graphic footage allegedly filmed during the attack.

Authorities have not released details of the contents of the video. Reports say it shows multiple assailants attacking the victim before one of them poses beside him while he lies seriously injured.

Narbonne Deputy Police Commissioner Ludovic Vinolas said the suspects had “few or no prior criminal records” and that some were not residents of the city.

Investigators believe the suspects may have known the victim through the foster-care network in the Occitanie region, where Louis had reportedly been placed at his family’s request.

Police have not announced a motive for the attack.

The killing has prompted widespread reaction on social media, where some users described the attackers as a “migrant gang” and claimed the victim had been targeted because he was white.

French authorities have not commented on the suspects’ citizenship, immigration status or ethnicity.

Right-wing politician Marine Le Pen said the case reflected what she described as “everyday barbarity that can no longer be minimized, downplayed, or concealed.” She added that a victory for her National Rally party in next year’s presidential election would put an end to what she called “ideological blindness in the face of this savagery and this unbearable ultraviolence.”

Five people have been arrested after a 17-year-old boy died following what French prosecutors described as a premeditated ambush at a construction site in the southern city of Narbonne. The victim, identified in French media as Louis, was found unconscious by construction workers around 14 hours after the attack last Friday. He died three days later in hospital in Perpignan.

Authorities say the suspects were identified with the help of video footage allegedly recorded by the attackers during the assault.Speaking at a press conference, Prosecutor Jean-Philippe Rey said investigators believed the attack had been planned in advance. “The evidence gathered suggests that these extremely serious acts were premeditated and that the accused had set a trap for the victim by luring him into a construction site to beat him to death,” he said.