Four Boston College Female Students Acid-Attacked in France

Four Boston College women studying abroad in Paris were attacked at a station in Marseille by a woman who tossed acid in their faces.

Police say the incident wasn’t terror related — but then again, they also say they’ve not ruled out terrorism completely.

They also aren’t releasing the name of the 41-year-old woman they arrested as a suspect, either.

And what’s still unknown: Did this woman target these poor college students because they were American? Did she target them because they weren’t wearing a burka, in accordance with sharia law?

These are the elephants in the room — and law enforcement is dragging on getting the answers.

Here’s some of the story, from ABC News:

The four American women attacked in Marseille, France with hydrochloric acid by a woman early Sunday are students at Boston College, a university spokesman said in a statement.

The students, all juniors, were studying abroad in Europe. Three of the women were enrolled at Boston College’s Paris program, and the fourth was a student at the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, the spokesman said.

The acid incident occurred at around 11 a.m. local time Sunday morning at the Saint-Charles train station in Marseille.

All of the students were apparently targeted by what authorities describe as a 41-year-old woman with a history of psychiatric problems.

The incident was not terror-related, Marseille police said.

Two of the students were treated for burns to their face at a Marseille hospital and have since been discharged, police and the university spokesman confirmed. The other two students were treated at the scene for shock, police confirmed to ABC News.

“It appears that the students are fine, considering the circumstances, though they may require additional treatment for burns,” Nick Gozik, director of Boston College’s Office of International Programs. “We have been in contact with the students and their parents and remain in touch with French officials and the U.S. Embassy regarding the incident.”

Local newspaper La Provence reported that the arrested woman told authorities she wanted others to suffer like she had.

The woman, according to the newspaper, told police she “went crazy” and was not targeting anyone in particular. She also showed officers pictures of herself with burns and claimed she had been a victim of an acid attack, and wanted to replicate what others had suffered, the newspaper reported.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told ABC News they are “aware” of the acid attack against the Americans, but deferred any specifics on the incident to local authorities.

“The safety and security of U.S. citizens abroad is one of the State Department’s highest priorities. Due to privacy considerations, we have no further comment,” the State Department spokesperson said.