A Spanish teacher was attacked by a student while teaching classes this Wednesday at a secondary school in Saint-Jean-de-Luz (France).
The 50-year-old woman died from stab wounds
, authorities reported.
The 16-year-old student entered the classroom, locked the doors and stabbed the teacher in the chest, authorities said.
A CNN affiliate in France reported that the young man said he was "possessed" when he committed the crime and that a voice ordered him to attack the teacher.
The local station report stated that, after injuring the teacher, the student went to an adjoining room and confessed to the crime to another teacher, who disarmed him and waited with him until the authorities arrived.
The teacher died despite receiving medical attention at the scene.
The identity of her or the student has not been released.
People outside the Saint-Thomas d'Aquin secondary school in France, where a teacher was murdered on Wednesday, February 22, 2023. VINCENT WEST / REUTERS
The French newspaper
Sud Ouest
specified that the students left the classroom in terror after the attack, which occurred around 10:00 am (local time).
Saint-Jean-de-Luz is a Catholic school, located in the southwest of France, which serves about 1,100 students, detailed the Spanish newspaper El País.
"The murder of a teacher in Saint-Jean-de-Luz fills us with intense shock," French President Emanuel Macron wrote on Twitter.
“I share the pain of his family, his colleagues, his students, and our teachers who dedicate their lives to transmitting knowledge to future generations.
The nation is with you."
[A Florida journalist and photographer reporting at the scene of a shooting are shot: one is dead]
French Education Minister Pap Ndiaye traveled to the school and told reporters that some 90 students were offered psychological support.
"Nothing made us imagine that we could have such a terrible tragedy," said Ndiaye.
"It's a sad day for the French education system, a sad day for this school
. "
The local prosecutor, Jérôme Bourrier, specified that the police detained the suspect and that a murder investigation has been opened.
They are expected to provide more details about the case in the coming days.