PARIS, 13 Oct. French President Emmanuel Macron convened a security meeting after a knife attack took place at a school in the city of Arras, resulting in the death of a teacher, the Figaro newspaper reported on Friday.
«Emmanuel Macron is holding a meeting on security issues at the Elysee Palace from 18.45 (19.45 Moscow time — ed.) after the knife attack in Arras,» the publication said.
The meeting is attended by the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Gerald Darmanin, the Minister of Justice Eric Dupont-Moretti, the Minister of Education Gabriel Attal and others, writes Figaro.
In addition, it is noted that the meeting is attended by the Chief of the General Staff of the French Armed Forces Thierry Burckhardt, Secretary General for National Defense and Security Stéphane Bouillon, Head of the Directorate General of External Security (DGSE) Bernard Emie and Head of the Directorate General of Internal Security (DGSI) Nicolas Lerner.
On Friday, at around 11.00, an unknown assailant attacked schoolchildren at the Gambetta Lyceum in the city of Arras in the Pas-de-Calais department. According to a police source, during the attack he shouted «Allahu Akbar!» One person was killed and several others were injured. According to the head of the French Ministry of Internal Affairs, Gerald Damanen, the attacker was detained during a police operation. The brother of the attacker was detained at another school.
According to the source, the brother of the attacker turned out to be Movsar Mogushkov, who had previously been convicted of publishing materials from the terrorist organization «Islamic State»* on social networks. According to the source, the family of the detainees previously tried to obtain political asylum in France; they are immigrants from Ingushetia.
This is not the first time a teacher has been attacked with a knife in French schools. According to BFMTV, such attacks have led to the death of about 10 teachers over the past 40 years. One of the most high-profile cases was the murder in October 2020 of history teacher Samuel Paty, who was stabbed and beheaded by Chechen refugee Abdullah Anzorov. The attacker was shot dead by police, but 14 others, including six teenagers, will be tried in November for their involvement in the crime.
The number of knife attacks has increased significantly in France over the past few years. French media previously reported that more than 120 such attacks are carried out in the country every day.
In June 2023, an attack in Annecy, France, caused widespread public outcry, killing six people, including four children aged 22 months to three years. The attack was carried out by a Syrian who had been denied French documents a few days before the attack. All victims were rescued.
* Terrorist organization banned in Russia