NANTES: A student killed his classmate and wounded three others in a stabbing spree at a private high school in northwestern France on Thursday before being arrested.

France has in recent years been shaken by a series of school incidents involving attacks on teachers as well as schoolchildren by their peers.

In the latest case of teenage violence, the assailant attacked fellow students with a knife at the Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides secondary school in the city of Nantes before being overpowered by teachers.

French Education Minister Elisabeth Borne and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau headed to the scene.

“A knife attack took place at lunchtime today at a private school in Nantes,” the education minister posted on X.

“I am travelling to the scene with @BrunoRetailleau to express my solidarity with the victims and my support for the educational community,” she added.

The school administration sent a message to the families of the some 2,000 students who attend the school, informing them of the incident.

Students had been immediately confined inside the school, the statement added.

Published in Dawn, April 25th, 2025