Crack addict rapists bring hell to Paris region which will host Olympics this summer: Horrifying knifepoint sex attack is latest incident in neighbourhood where 'attacks and rapes are part of daily life'

A knifepoint sex attack a short distance from where the Paris Olympics is set to take place this summer is the latest in a series of horrific assaults in an area where locals say they fear for their safety on a daily basis.

​​Place Auguste Baron in the north-east of the French capital has seen two women attacked and threatened with rape in the past two days, according to French media. The suspects in each case are said to have been crack addicts.

Last night, a woman who was walking home in the neighbourhood was pounced on by a man who she said had been tailing her for 500 yards, Le Parisien reports.

The attacker, armed with a knife, began insulting and threatening to kill the woman, before allegedly jumping on her when they reached a dimly lit, concealed area.

He tried to force his victim to perform oral sex on him before attempting to pull her trousers off, at which point the woman is reported to have screamed 'help, he's going to rape me!' 

French riot mobile gendarmes stand next to the Forceval garden square during the dismantling of a camp for crack addicts, north-east of Paris in 2022

​​Place Auguste Baron is less than a 10 minute drive from the Stade de France and Center Aquatique

She escaped the attack and the suspect, said to be a crack user, was caught and arrested by police. 

A local told La Parisien that addicts are present throughout Place Auguste Baron, and said that for all residents, 'assaults and even rapes' are a fact of daily life.

On Monday, in the same area, a woman who had just dropped her children off at school was walking with a neighbour when she was attacked by a man who threatened to rape her.

Municipal police officers, who were on surveillance near the school, are said to have intervened. 

​​Place Auguste Baron is less than a 10 minute drive from the Stade de France, which is hosting the athletics events, and the Center Aquatique which is hosting much of the swimming.

For years, drugs trafficking has been a scourge on Paris, with encampments set up in parks and beneath underpasses.

In 2022, hundreds of police officers took part in an operation to dismantle a huge camp in Forceval square in Place Auguste Baron.

The popular park is said to have been a temporary home to around 150 crack users, who were living in tents and makeshift shelters. 

In 2022, hundreds of police officers took part in an operation to dismantle a huge camp in Forceval square in Place August Baron

Police made 385 arrests in connection with the raid, with many held in relation with drug trafficking offences.

French authorities have been accused of 'social cleansing' ahead of the Olympic Games this summer, with aid groups alleging that the clearing of encampments is part of a campaign to beautify the French capital.

In an operation that began before dawn last week, police woke around 100 teenage boys and young men from West Africa, telling them to pack their tents and belongings.

French authorities have been accused of 'social cleansing' ahead of the Olympic Games this summer

Paris police said the operation was carried out for security reasons, notably because the camp was near schools.

As part of their preparations for the Games, Paris authorities have been desperately trying to clear up the Seine, which environmentalists say is too dirty to host the opening ceremony as planned. 

Many of the Olympic events are being held in Seine-Saint-Denis, an area of Paris which has the highest ratio of immigrants among France's departments and is also the poorest.

Some 45,000 police officers will be on duty throughout the 16 days of competition that is expected to bring thousands of athletes and hundreds of thousands of spectators together.

The Opening Ceremony will take place on July 26, with competition running until August 11. The Paralympic Games then follows from August 28 to September 8

As part of their preparations for the Games, Paris authorities have been desperately trying to clear up the River Seine

A further 2,500 foreign officers will also assist French police over the duration of the competition with a separate team of British police also in attendance.

Paris was the target of co-ordinated terrorist attacks by Islamic State militants in 2015, with the atackings leaving 130 dead and 350 wounded.

France raised its security alert to its highest level in October, after a teacher was stabbed to death in a knife attack.

The Opening Ceremony will take place on July 26, with competition running until August 11. The Paralympic Games then follows from August 28 to September 8.