French school stabbing: Student killed, 3 others injured

The attack took place at Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides high school in Nantes. French PM Bayrou has called for increased insecurity in an around schools.

A student was killed and three others were injured in a stabbing attack at a school in western France on Thursday, police said.

The suspected assailant, a 15-year-old student, reportedly entered two classrooms at the private Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides High School in Doulon, near Nantes, and carried out the attacks.

Teachers managed to overpower the attacker before police arrived.

French President Emmanuel Macron praised the intervention of the teachers, saying it prevented further tragedy.

He extended his "heartfelt thoughts to the families, the students, and the entire educational community," adding that France shared in their grief.

Attacker reportedly wore a helmet and balaclava

Newspaper Ouest France reported that the attacker was dressed in black, wearing a helmet and balaclava. Two knives were found next to his belongings.

An email sent from the alleged attacker's address, which French media described as a twenty-page document, painted a grim picture of society.

BFMTV reported that the deceased student was female. One of the wounded students was hospitalized in a "very serious condition."

The school kept students inside for hours while police secured the site and questioned them. Worried parents waited outside. Police and armed forces surrounded the area.

France considering metal detectors at schools

France's Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has ordered increased security in and around schools.

He has requested new measures to prevent and address knife violence among teens and children within four weeks, and mentioned that metal detectors at schools might be an option.

French Education Minister Elisabeth Borne went to the school with Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau to show "solidarity with victims and the school community."

"A terrible drama happened at midday today, and my thoughts go first to the teenage girl who lost her life, and to the three wounded students" and their families, Borne said.

France has recently been shaken by a spate of incidents in and around schools.

In February, Borne said police would start conducting spot checks for knives and other weapons concealed in bags at schools in a bid to deal with an increase in violent attacks.

Edited by: Rana Taha