A tragedy took place this Friday, October 13. A man armed with a knife killed a teacher and seriously injured two people in a high school in Arras (Pas-de-Calais) this morning, AFP learned from the prefecture and a police source. According to information from The Express, the individual is a man of Chechen origin and registered S for radicalization. He shouted “Allah Akbar”, according to a police source. The anti-terrorism prosecution has opened an investigation.
Who are the victims ?
The events took place at the Gambetta high school, wrote the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, on X (formerly Twitter), specifying that the author had been arrested.
No high school student was injured, according to a police source. Among the two injured are a security agent in absolute emergency, after having suffered several stab wounds, and a teacher in relative emergency, said a second police source. High school students and high school staff were confined in the establishment, this source said.
The prefect of Pas-de-Calais, Jacques Billant, who confirmed this death to AFP, went to the scene. “A police operation took place this morning in Arras at the Gambetta school campus. The perpetrator was arrested” by the police, wrote the prefecture on X. “The event is taken into account and does not present danger. Stay calm and follow the instructions to facilitate a return to a normal situation,” she added.
The President of the Republic will visit the site
The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, will visit the site. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne canceled a trip to Orléans to return to Paris, according to her entourage.
The National Assembly decided to suspend its work in solidarity with the victims.