Rapper accused of kidnapping teenage fan who wanted a photo
Popular French rapper Zola (real name Aurélien Zola) has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and beating a teenage fan who tried to take a photo of him.
The 26-year-old and three others were detained on suspicion of kidnapping and aggravated assault with a weapon after a 19-year-old claimed he was attacked.
According to La Parisien, the fan allegedly showed up at Zola’s home in Le Pin, Seine-et-Marne, to take a picture but was met by eight masked and armed men.
He claims he was chased down the street, caught, and dragged back to the rapper’s home while his friends managed to get away.
The teen says he was forced to strip as the men burned his clothes in front of him. They allegedly started beating him and put a gun to his mouth, before taking him to the basement and firing bullets close to him.
He also claims the group stole his phone and bank card before taking him back to his vandalised car with slashed tyres and mirrors.
After two hours of alleged abuse, he alleges they threatened to kill him and warned him not to go to the police.
Zola has over 1.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify. He’s best known for tracks like ‘Amber’ and ‘Papers’, which each have 133 million and 122 million streams.
The buzzing rapper, born in Évry, Essonne, also has over 1.6 million Instagram followers and 1.3 million YouTube subscribers.
His last three albums, Survie, Diamant du Bled, and Frères ennemis with Koba LaD, have all reached number one on the French Albums Chart. His songs ‘9 1 1 3’, ‘Amber’, and ‘Coeur de ice’, all topped the French Singles Chart.