Following an attack in which a teacher was tragically stabbed and two others were gravely injured, the French prime minister declared the nation to be on the highest level of counterterrorism alert. The alert can trigger extra security deployments and public warnings.
In the course of the attack on a school in Arras, northern France, witnesses said the knifeman yelled "Allahu Akbar," meaning "God is greatest." He's presently in police custody.
The attack at Gambetta high school in the northern city, at about 11:00 local time (09:00 GMT), came amid rising tensions in France's sizeable Muslim and Jewish communities, due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said there was "no doubt" a link between the Arras attack and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The attacker, named as 20-year-old Russian national Mohamed Mogouchkov, is of Chechen origin and known to the security services for his involvement with Islamist extremism, according to police.
In the course of the attack on a school in Arras, northern France, witnesses said the knifeman yelled "Allahu Akbar," meaning "God is greatest." He's presently in police custody.
The attack at Gambetta high school in the northern city, at about 11:00 local time (09:00 GMT), came amid rising tensions in France's sizeable Muslim and Jewish communities, due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said there was "no doubt" a link between the Arras attack and the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The attacker, named as 20-year-old Russian national Mohamed Mogouchkov, is of Chechen origin and known to the security services for his involvement with Islamist extremism, according to police.
