Arras school stabbing

On 13 October 2023, a mass stabbing occurred at the Gambetta-Carnot secondary school in Arras, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France, France. One person was killed, and three others were seriously wounded.

The attack was postulated to be connected to rumours that Hamas had called for a global day of terrorism on the 13th. The suspect was previously known to the French security services for his involvement with radical Islamism.

Attack

At around 11:00 CEST on 13 October 2023, the attack began in the school's car park. According to witnesses the suspect was heard shouting "Allahu akbar" during the attack. The attacker was confronted by a teacher and other members of staff including the headmaster before being detained by police.

Casualties

A French language teacher, Dominique Bernard, was killed while another teacher, a security guard and a cleaner were seriously injured.

Suspect

The suspected attacker is a Russian man of Ingush origin who was born in 2003 and moved to France with his family in 2008. Police had arrested him the previous day on suspicion of radicalism. The suspect was known to the French security services for his involvement with radical Islamism; he was arrested by police. The suspect was listed at a state list of potential dangerous persons and the domestic secret service DGSI is said to have, among other things, intercepted his telephone conversations. The suspect is a former student of the school and his younger brother was also detained on the same day. The attacker pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and expressed his hatred for France.

Aftermath

The funeral of Bernard was held in the Arras cathedral with screens used to broadcast the hundred watching outside. Bernard was posthumously awarded the Legion of Honor by French President Macron.

Immediately after the attack France mobilized at least 7,000 soldiers to be stationed around the country for an increase in security. Classes were canceled at the Gambetta-Carnot school where Bernard taught, and bomb threats were seen across the country, in airports, the Louvre Museum and the Palace of Versailles. The school was subject to a bomb threat after Bernard's death but as it had only been open to allow pupils and staff to pay tribute to Bernard and other victims, the process of evacuation was quick.

See also

• List of terrorist incidents in 2023
• List of terrorist incidents in France
• Murder of Samuel Paty
• 2023 Brussels shooting

References