Police discover 40 sheep in social-housing apartment in Nice

40 sheep have been discovered in what was supposed to be an empty social-housing apartment in the southern French city of Nice.

The animals were crammed into a 50-square-metre flat lined with straw, the broadcaster France 3 reported on Tuesday. Two men wearing blood-stained T-shirts were arrested.

The authorities suspect that the sheep were to be illegally slaughtered before Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice.

Police came across a sheep that had already been slaughtered in the flat, municipal official Anthony Borré said. The remaining sheep were handed over to a breeder.

To prevent illegal use of the vacant flat, the housing association had installed a specially secured door. During an inspection on Friday, the flat was still empty. Officers of the criminal investigation department came across the sheep during an operation in the apartment block on Sunday.