Death threats in a high school in Puy-de-Dôme: a student indicted

A teenager was indicted Friday following death threats received by the staff of a high school in Riom (Puy-de-Dôme) which had to close this week.

This 15-year-old high school student had already been heard last weekend as part of the investigation for “threats under conditions”, before being released.

Placed again in police custody on Thursday, he was finally indicted in particular for "death threats, insults to a person in charge of a public service mission and acts of intimidation".

"For the moment, we do not know his accomplices"

The prosecution requested the placement under judicial supervision of the teenager, "if possible outside the department", according to the public prosecutor of Clermont-Ferrand Eric Maillaud.

“He certainly did not act alone but for the moment we do not know his accomplices,” added the magistrate.

In total, three high school students were arrested Thursday to be heard by the police, but the other two were released, said the prosecutor.

Five high school students have been placed in police custody since the start of this case which requires "complex computer investigations", according to the prosecution.

The Pierre-Joël-Bonté high school was closed on Monday due to "insults and death threats" received by teachers and educational advisers via the Digital Workspace (ENT), an internet tool allowing establishments to communicate with families.

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The first messages sent last week were "pornographic" then turned into "threats of violence, rape and death", according to the prosecutor.

A message included as an attachment an image related to jihadism "as we find everywhere", added the magistrate, ruling out the terrorist nature of these threats.

New threats were received Tuesday evening by teachers, which postponed until Monday the reopening of the school, initially scheduled for Thursday.

The author of the last message said "to want to come armed in the establishment to commit

carnage

", declared the prosecutor, saying to have "the conviction that there are several".

A psychological unit has been set up in the establishment, which has around 1,000 students.