French authorities are investigating the violent assault of a 15-year-old Ukrainian schoolboy in Paris.
The victim, identified only as Yuriy, was left in a coma after the attack in the wealthy 15th arrondissement of the capital city on January 15.
A widely-shared video of the beating showed a dozen young people in hooded jackets kicking and beating the teenager to the ground, before abandoning him.
The attack in a busy and well-heeled neighbourhood of Paris shocked residents, though police have noted violent disputes between rival bands of youths in the area.
The detained suspects — eight minors and one young adult — were being investigated for attempted murder, gang violence and theft, prosecutors said.
Nataliya Kruchenyk, mother of the 15-year-old victim named only as Yuriy, said this week he had emerged from a coma induced by doctors following the January 15 attack near a shopping centre in the 15th district.
Kruchenyk said her son had left school with friends when he was accosted by around a dozen people, a scene captured by a surveillance camera.
