A 15-year-old boy fatally stabbed a fellow pupil and wounded three others in a violent attack at the Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides school in Nantes, western France, on Thursday, according to police.
The incident occurred around midday at the private Catholic institution, with BFM TV reporting that the deceased victim was a girl, while the injured pupils were boys. Authorities have not officially confirmed the identities or ages of the victims.
The teenage suspect was subdued by teaching staff before police arrived on the scene. He was taken into custody, and officials have since confirmed there is no immediate indication of a terrorist motive.
In the aftermath of the attack, students were kept inside the school building for several hours before being released under police protection. Dozens of anxious parents gathered at the gates as news of the incident spread.
“We’re waiting to be able to hold them in our arms … to help them deal with the stress this will have caused,” said Nicolas, a parent at the school.
A student who knew the attacker told reporters that he had previously made disturbing remarks expressing Nazi sympathies. “He spoke of Nazi ideology. We thought he just said that to make people laugh… What we heard is that he wanted to bring back the Nazi ideas of Hitler,” she said.
The same pupil claimed that shortly before the stabbing, the boy sent a lengthy email to the entire school community. French media outlets have published portions of the message, describing its tone as environmentalist and anti-globalisation, but with no reference to violence or a planned attack.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, speaking from Nantes, refrained from commenting on the boy’s motives or background but linked the incident to broader societal issues. “The general climate of laxism and a lack of order and hierarchy is what leads to this kind of violence,” he said.
However, Nantes Mayor Johanna Rolland urged caution against politicising the tragedy. “The mental health of the youth of this country is an issue that needs to be raised,” she said.
The local prosecutor is expected to hold a press conference on Friday to provide further details about the ongoing investigation.
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