MARSEILLE: A Jewish teacher in France who claimed he was attacked by the militant Islamic State (IS) group was taken into custody on Wednesday, accused of lying to police.

The man invited the press to his house in Marseille in southern France the day after the supposed attack in December, saying he had been beaten by three men claiming to represent the militant group.

But a police source confirmed on Wednesday that the man had been arrested for allegedly fabricating the story.

He is not the only French teacher to be accused of lying about an IS attack. In January, a nursery school teacher was sent for psychiatric tests after admitting he lied about an attack in his classroom.

The 45-year-old man in Aubervilliers, northeast of Paris, initially said a man had burst into his classroom and cut him with a box cutter and scissors.

But he later admitted inventing the story and cutting himself on the neck and side.

The cases came with France still on edge in the wake of the November attacks in Paris.

Related: Paris attacks: As it happened

Opinion

Editorial

The heat ahead
Updated 31 May, 2026

The heat ahead

Planning for hotter conditions is increasingly becoming a question of public health, economic resilience and public safety.
Dimming hopes
31 May, 2026

Dimming hopes

THE National Assembly opposition leader’s recent warning should give the ruling parties some pause. Once again, ...
No Tobacco Day
31 May, 2026

No Tobacco Day

THIS year’s World No Tobacco Day theme, announced by the WHO last October, is ‘Unmasking the appeal —...
Diplomatic resolve
Updated 30 May, 2026

Diplomatic resolve

Iran, too, must engage seriously and provide credible assurances about its nuclear programme if it wants sanctions relief and a more stable relationship with the outside world.
Weaponising water
30 May, 2026

Weaponising water

CLIMATE Minister Musadik Malik’s warning against what he described as “water aggression” indicates ...
Rabies toll
30 May, 2026

Rabies toll

EVERY year, rabies, the deadliest zoonotic disease, kills more than 59,000 people worldwide. In Pakistan, it is one...