Police in the French city of Dunkirk arrested several youths after they assaulted a young mother, with several also claiming to have taken part in the brutal beating of a volunteer fireman last weekend.

The 45-year-old mother was attacked by around 15 youths on Tuesday evening in her own home, with several of the attackers carrying knives. The main target of the attack, according to investigators, was the woman’s son, France Info reports.

While threatening the woman, one of the group claimed to have been involved in the brutal beating of 27-year-old volunteer firefighter Kévin Desmidt who was beaten so badly he remains in critical condition at Lille University Hospital.

Desmidt was set upon by attackers at the outskirts of the Black Cat Ball, part of Dunkirk’s carnival celebrations, over the weekend, and kicked and punched in the head by a group of around ten youths in total.

Seven ‘Youths’ Arrested After Fireman Beaten to Death at Christmas Market https://t.co/Pwo70p22EV — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 10, 2019

Dunkirk police have said they are investigating the attack on Desmidt and have called for witnesses to the incident to come forward. However, they have also been cautious about linking those arrested on Wednesday evening to the beating, saying investigations were still ongoing.

The brutal assault on Desmidt comes just under two months after an off-duty fireman was beaten to death in similar circumstances in the German city of Augsburg.

49-year-old Roland S. was set upon by a gang of youths said to have been led by 17-year-old Turkish-Lebanese-German Halid S.

An argument boiled over into violence that was so extreme that the fireman died on the way to the hospital after the youths had fled from the area.

The Dunkirk beating is just the latest in France in recent years. In August of 2018, three youths were arrested in Val-d’Oise for viciously beating a man who confronted them for verbally abusing his wife.

Earlier that same year in the town of Pau, an African migrant drug dealer was beaten to death by a gang of teens between the ages of 12 and 17.

France: Migrants Make up 40 Percent of Unemployed Youth https://t.co/n18I1j25Vd — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 22, 2019