French prosecutors on Thursday, opened an investigation into the severed fingertip found in a letter addressed to the presidential palace.
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron was sent a severed human finger by first-class post. It arrived at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Monday, 10 July.
The gruesome find was reported by staff working for President Emmanuel Macron at the beginning of the week, with Police called in to investigate, according to the Valeurs Actuelles magazine which first reported the story.
“The finger was initially put in a fridge where the police put their snacks,” said a source at the official presidential home.
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“This was to make sure it was preserved and could be analysed as quickly as possible.”
The finger was later identified as belonging to a ‘living human being,’ who was contacted and ‘given full medical support,’ the source said.
There was no note, or any other form of correspondence, accompanying the finger, leaving investigators baffled.
“It’s not at all clear why this finger was sent to the president,” the source said.
They noted the owner of the finger would not be identified, for a number of reasons including medical confidentiality.
Bullets are among the sinister items sent to French heads of state over the years, but this is the first time a body part has been received.
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Between 1,000-1,500 emails and letters are addressed to Macron each day and they are monitored and scanned by a 70-strong team working from offices away from the main Elysee Palace in central Paris.
Macron is known to monitor them as an insight into public opinion and occasionally responds with hand-written messages.
The parcel comes during a particularly troubled time for Mr. Macron, who has been forced to deal with riots across the country over a variety of social issues.
These issues range from pension reform to the shooting dead of a 17-year-old French Algerian by a Paris policeman last week.