French teen school shooter tackled by 'hero' teacher
A member of the RAID French police unit stands near the Tocqueville high school in the southern French town of Grasse, on March 16, 2017 following a shooting that left eight people injured. PHOTO | Valery HACHE | AFP
What you need to know:
- Investigators said there were no indications of a terror-related attack.
- They described an individual who had problematic relationships with fellow students as well as an obsession with guns.
PARIS
A 16-year-old pupil was arrested with a cache of weapons after a shooting in a high school in Grasse, southern France, on Thursday that left four people slightly injured, investigators say.
This is what we know about the incident, which comes with France on high alert ahead of the first round of a presidential election on April 23, and after a string of terror attacks:
Who was the attacker?
The suspect is a 16-year-old pupil at the Alexis de Tocqueville high school in the southern town of Grasse. His name has not been disclosed as he is a minor.
He was armed with a rifle and two handguns, as well as two grenades which may have been dummies, investigators say.
Police also found a home-made explosive device in his rucksack, which was made safe at the scene, they say.
His head teacher is being hailed as a hero for intervening as the student pulled out his guns, preventing a worse toll.
Was this a terror attack?
Investigators said there were no indications of a terror-related attack.
They described an individual who had problematic relationships with fellow students as well as an obsession with guns.
He had shared pictures and videos on social media of infamous US school shootings, including the 1999 massacre in Littleton, Colorado, in which two teens killed 13 people before committing suicide.
Who was hurt?
Three pupils and the head teacher suffered minor gunshot wounds, and another six students were treated for shock or injuries sustained during a stampede, according to an updated toll.
There was panic as some pupils fled to a local supermarket and rumours spread quickly of an attack.
What was the response?
US-style school shootings are almost unheard-of in France, which has low levels of gun violence. But the country remains at its highest level of vigilance following a string of jihadist attacks since January 2015 that killed around 230 people.
Initiating a rapid-response plan, the authorities placed the other schools in Grasse on lockdown, triggered a smartphone application to warn people to stay away and elite forces moved in to secure the area.
"The measures put in place by the government... in particular, training exercises for attacks on schools, have demonstrated their usefulness and effectiveness," Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in a statement later.
More than 3,000 reservists were called up to help keep watch outside the country's 64,000 primary and secondary schools when pupils returned from their summer holidays last September.
In some locations, fencing and concrete bollards have also been deployed to shield schools against a truck attack, of the kind that left 86 people dead in the southern city of Nice on Bastille Day.
Where did it take place?
Grasse, just 40 kilometres from Nice, is a quiet hillside town with a population of around 50,000. It is best known for its perfume industry.
The Alexis de Tocqueville high school was recently built on the outskirts of Grasse. It caters to 900 students has a good reputation locally, specialising in science courses.
