French influencer jailed for stabbing strangers with empty syringes. The reason behind is more unsettling

What began as a so-called “prank” for views and likes ended in a prison sentence for one French TikToker whose videos crossed the delicate line between comedy and cruelty.

In June, shortly before France’s Fête de la Musique annual celebration, disturbing clips of Ilan M., known online as “Amine Mojito,” began circulating on TikTok. In them, the influencer is seen pretending to stab unsuspecting strangers with an empty syringe and recording their screams, shock, and panic for laughs. While the syringe contained no harmful substance, the terror it provoked was all too real.

Mojito’s videos quickly went viral, igniting public outrage and sparking fears at a time when health anxieties already run high. Critics accused him of weaponizing fear for fame, and the videos soon caught the attention of both law enforcement and France’s criminal courts.

Now, three months later, justice has caught up with him. The Paris Criminal Court has convicted Mojito of “violence with a weapon that did not result in incapacity for work,” handing down a 12-month prison sentence, with six months to be served in custody, and the remaining six suspended. The sentence also reflects prior charges of harassment, threats, and public disorder.

Prosecutors argued that Mojito’s actions were not harmless but equal to harassment and deliberate provocation, describing him as a public menace. Mojito, now visibly remorseful, told the court he had only wanted to “make people laugh” and admitted he underestimated the fear it caused. He conceded that even he would have been terrified “if someone approached with a syringe.”

Several victims who he captured in his video testified that they were left shaken, panicked, and afraid of infection after the encounters. In addition to prison time, Mojito was also fined €1,670 and banned from owning or carrying any weapon for three years.

The case serves as a grim reminder of how far the chase for viral fame can go and how the internet’s appetite for shock content can turn social media stunts into criminal acts.