Prosecutors in France announced on Thursday that they had begun an inquiry following the discovery of a severed fingertip in a letter sent to the presidential palace.
According to the Valeurs Actuelles magazine, which broke the story first, the horrifying discovery was made by personnel working for President Emmanuel Macron at the beginning of the week, and police were brought in to investigate.
A source close to the probe told AFP on condition of anonymity that the fingertip belonged to the letter’s sender, who suffers from psychological issues.
Every day, between 1,000 and 1,500 emails and letters are sent to Macron, and they are watched and examined by a 70-person staff based in offices separate from the main Elysee Palace in central Paris.
Macron is known to check them for insight into popular sentiment and to respond with handwritten messages on occasion.
When contacted by AFP about the finger, his office declined to comment.
