World
Terror investigation after teacher killed in knife attack at school in France
A terror investigation has been launched after a teacher was stabbed to death at a school in France.
Two people were also injured in the knife attack at the Gambetta secondary school in Arras, in the north of the country.
A suspect, believed to be a former student at the school, has been arrested.
His brother has also been arrested, according to French media.
The suspect is reported to be in his 20s, Russian-born and of Chechen origin, and on a watchlist of people known to be at risk of radicalisation.
A police officer, who was one of the first on the scene, said the suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar” – which means “God is great” in Arabic – before carrying out the stabbing.
France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office has taken over the investigation.
Residents have been advised by local authorities to avoid the centre of the town, which is south of the city of Lille, following the attack.
Police operations are said to be “ongoing”.
French police secure the area
The teacher who died was a French language teacher at the school, according to local media.
Police say another teacher and a security guard also suffered injuries in the attack.
One is reported to be in a “very serious condition”, according to the news site, Le Parisien – quoting an unnamed police source.
Students were reportedly locked down in the school during the incident.
None of the children were physically harmed during the attack, according to reports.
‘We ran’
Local media quoted one pupil as saying: “We came out of class to go to the canteen, and we saw the guy with two knives attacking the teacher, who had blood on him.
“He tried to calm him down and protect us.
“He told us to get out, but we didn’t understand.
“We ran, and others went back upstairs.”
France’s president Emmanuel Macron, French interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, and education minister, Gabriel Attal, are set to visit Arras after the attack.
In a post about the stabbing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr Darmanin wrote: “A police operation took place at the Gambetta high school in Arras.
“The perpetrator was arrested by the police.”
Mr Attal urged schools across France to “immediately take all measures” to increase security following the attack.
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Police at the scene
‘Unspeakable’ attack leaves ‘community in mourning’
Former French president, Francois Hollande, described the incident as a “terrorist attack” on a “symbol of the [French] Republic”.
“I send all my thoughts to the victims, their loved ones, the teaching staff and educational staff who are experiencing the unspeakable,” he wrote in a post on X.
Naima Moutchou, a vice president of France’s National Assembly, expressed “solidarity and thoughts for the victims, their families and the educational community” on behalf of the assembly’s representatives.
The French education Union SUD said in a statement on X: “We learn with horror and fear of the assassination of a teacher in his workplace.
“Our thoughts are with his family, loved ones, colleagues and students.
“Today, once again the entire educational community is in mourning.”
French officials told the news agency Reuters that “nothing so far” points towards a potential link between the attack and the current situation in Israel.
Local police have also urged people to avoid the area and not to share footage of the incident on social media.