Surgeon attempts to sell terrorist victim’s X-ray as NFT

A French doctor is facing disciplinary action for trying to profit from an image of a bullet in a Bataclan victim’s arm

The head of public hospitals in Paris, Martin Hirsch, has filed a criminal and professional complaint against surgeon Emmanuel Masmejean for “disgraceful” and “scandalous” behavior.

The official complaints come after it was reported that Masmejean attempted to sell an X-ray of a victim of the 2015 Paris terrorist attack as an NFT (non-fungible token) digital artwork.

The X-ray, which was listed for sale at $2,776, showed a Kalashnikov bullet lodged in the forearm of the victim after they were shot in the deadly incident. According to the description, the victim “had an open fracture of the left forearm with a remaining bullet [from a] Kalashnikov in soft tissues.”

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Masmejean listed himself as a professor of surgery and a specialist in treating arm injuries, claiming to have personally operated on five victims from the Bataclan attack.

“This act is contrary to sound professional practice, puts medical secrecy in danger, and goes against the values of AP-HP (Paris hospitals) and public service,” Hirsch wrote on Twitter.

When approached for comment by Mediapart, a French media outlet, Masmejean admitted the attempted sale was “an error” and he regretted not securing the patient’s permission. 

In a statement, the victims’ association Life for Paris “stood alongside the victim of the attack,” claiming they were now also a “victim of stupidity” thanks to a “doctor who has evidently forgotten his ethical code.”

The November 2015 terrorist attack saw nine Islamic State extremists take the lives of 130 citizens and injure 416 more after a series of coordinated attacks across Paris, including at the State de France and Bataclan theater.