The Saint Thomas d’Aquin high school in Saint-Jean-de-Luz is still in shock this Thursday, February 23, the day after the death of a teacher stabbed by a high school student. The young man is in police custody but his profile must still be clarified, in particular his mental health.
- Terror in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, a 52-year-old Spanish teacher was stabbed to death by a student in Saint Thomas d’Aquin high school, Wednesday February 22, 2023.
- An investigation for “assassination” was opened after the death of the teacher in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. The charge can still evolve, the public prosecutor must hold a press conference this Thursday, February 23 at the beginning of the afternoon.
- The 16-year-old high school student who carried out the knife attack was arrested and taken into custody on Wednesday. The young man is described as “calm” and “taking medication against stress”, he is not known to the police. Investigators could wonder about the mental health and possible psychological problems of the high school student who reportedly said he “heard voices” ordering him to kill the teacher.
- A minute of silence is organized this Thursday, February 23, at 3 p.m., in all schools to pay tribute to the teacher who died in the Saint-Jean-de-Luz high school.
Live
08:42 – The high school student’s custody extended?
The police custody of the high school student responsible for the fatal attack on the deceased Spanish teacher must end this Thursday, February 23 at the end of the morning, after the 24 regulatory hours. But the procedure could be extended by an additional 24 hours if the investigators consider it necessary to have more time to audition the young man and shed light on certain points of the investigation.
08:29 – Students welcomed to Saint Thomas d’Aquin high school this Thursday
The students of Saint Thomas d’Aquin, the high school where the tragedy took place yesterday, are welcomed this Thursday morning. No classes on the program, but listening sessions to deal with the trauma that may have been caused by the attack on their Spanish teacher by one of their classmates. The psychological cells set up yesterday are still open to students and the educational community.
08:13 – Uneventful teenager before his teacher’s attack
If the teenager could suffer from psychological disorders, these would not have been a problem within the Saint Thomas d’Aquin high school since the student’s arrival in September 2022. Classmates described the high school student as someone one of discreet, uneventful and never involved in altercations with teachers.
08:07 – The high school student who killed his teacher suffers from “proven psychiatric disorders”
The 16-year-old high school student who fatally stabbed his Spanish teacher yesterday in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, would suffer from “proven psychiatric disorders” according to a source close to the file interviewed by BFM TV. The nature of these disorders was not specified. After his act, the young man said he “heard voices” that would have pushed him to take action.
02/22/23 – 11:30 p.m. – End of live
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As a reminder, a 53-year-old Spanish teacher was stabbed to death in a high school in Saint-Jean-de-Luz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), this Wednesday, February 22, 2023. The attacker is a 16-year-old high school student who pulled out a knife mid-course. The youngster reportedly said he was “possessed”. Students indicated that the high school student would have made “weird, somewhat incoherent remarks”, but “in connection” with his act. He was taken into custody.
An investigation for “assassination” was opened and entrusted to the judicial police of Bayonne. It is already focusing on the potential psychological problems of the high school student.
02/22/23 – 10:55 pm – The president of the teacher’s union testifies
Rudolf Cassaro, president of the National Union of Christian Education in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, expressed his sadness after the death of the Spanish teacher: “We are stunned, taken aback and when we learned the name of our colleague , we were even more dejected because Agnès campaigned for 20 years in our union”, he declared on franceinfo.
02/22/23 – 10:10 p.m. – The high school student allegedly made “incoherent remarks” the day before the murder
Sources close to the establishment told L’Opinion that the 16-year-old boy would have made “weird remarks, a little incoherent according to other students”, but which would be “related” to his act.
02/22/23 – 9:20 p.m. – Should we put psychologists in schools?
Several media citing “sources close to the case” indicated that the young man would suffer from psychiatric or psychological disorders and testimonies from students mention a drug treatment that the high school student would follow. But the question of a premeditated defense on his part arises after his act. On BFMTV, Sophie Vénétitay, deputy general secretary of the SNES-FSU teachers’ union, invites schools to integrate a psychologist: “The question that arises is how do we manage to deal with these questions to ensure that that the pupils and the teachers are in good conditions to work, to succeed? That supposes to ask the question of the presence of the psychologists of National Education, school nurses in the colleges and the high schools “.
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This Wednesday, February 22, 2023, a teacher from Saint-Thomas d’Aquin high school in Saint-Jean-de-Luz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) was killed by a student, who violently attacked her with a knife, around 10 a.m., in the middle of a Spanish lesson. France Blue Basque Country comes from a testimony that the teenager would have got up in the middle of the lesson, hiding his bladed weapon in a sheet. After blocking the door of the room, he allegedly threw himself on the teacher to stab her, who was hit in the sternum. When the emergency services arrived on the scene, the victim, aged around fifty, was in cardiopulmonary arrest. She died a few minutes later.
It is therefore within the Saint-Thomas d’Aquin high school in Saint-Jean-de-Luz that the tragedy occurred. It is a private Catholic institution under contract which also includes a college. The establishment is located not far from the city center of the town. South West indicates that all entrances to the site have been blocked by the police. There is no longer any danger within the establishment, local media say. A psychological unit has been set up for the students. According to a testimony collected by BFM TV, the establishment is “without history, with very good results, very serious, […] where not a lot usually happens.”
According to the first elements gathered by various media, including theAFP, the assailant is a 16-year-old boy. The public prosecutor of Bayonne, quoted by The Parisian, indicates that the young man is educated in second class and was a student of the teacher. He was quickly arrested by the police. At this stage, the reasons that led him to commit this barbaric act are not yet known. The young man is unknown to the precise police services BFM-TV. The news channel claims that “the teenager suffers from psychiatric disorders, and would have said ‘to be possessed’, after his acting out.” The world confirms that the investigation “is oriented towards taking into account possible psychiatric disorders of the perpetrator.” According to information from Opinionthe high school student would have made “weird remarks, a little incoherent”, but “in connection” with his act.