Student knife attack at French school leaves 1 dead, 3 injured

Paris, April 25 (IANS) A high school student entered a school in western France's Nantes with a knife and stabbed at least four students, local media reported, citing the police.

One of the victims died from injuries, according to BFMTV on Thursday, citing multiple sources.

Teachers stopped the attacker before police arrived, BFMTV said, adding that the attacker, a second-year high school student, has been detained, Xinhua news agency reported.

The youth -- whose identity has not been revealed but who had expressed an admiration for Adolf Hitler -- was overcome by teachers after staging attacks in several classrooms, witnesses said.

He was detained by police but hospitalised after a psychiatric examination.

The suspect sent a rambling email to other students just before the attacks.

"The psychiatrist who examined the suspect concluded that his state of health is incompatible with the current police custody," Nantes prosecutor Antoine Leroy told reporters.

In the latest case to shock France, the assailant attacked fellow students with a knife at the Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides grammar school in the western city of Nantes.

Speaking at the scene, French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said that nearly 50 investigators have been deployed and worked "tirelessly" since.

More than 70 interviews have been conducted, he added.

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has called for an intensification of controls implemented around and within schools following the attack.

He called for a response to the "endemic violence" among some youths and demanded proposals to prevent further knife attacks.

President Emmanuel Macron, writing on X, said the courage of the teachers who floored the youth had prevented a higher toll.

"Through their intervention, teachers likely prevented other tragedies. Their courage demands respect," he said.

French Education Minister Elisabeth Borne said in February that police would start random searches near schools for hidden knives and other weapons in a bid to deal with the rise in attacks.

The prosecutor in Nantes is expected to hold a press conference to give more details about the attack on Friday.

--IANS

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