US-style firing at French school
17-year-old student armed with handguns and grenades arrested
Paris, March 16: A teenage student opened fire on Thursday at a high school in southeastern France injuring eight people, including the headmaster, in an attack carried out after he had watched American-style mass shooting videos, the interior ministry said.
The incident, which does not appear to be linked to terrorism, comes with France on high alert after over 230 people were killed in terror attacks in the past two years.
With a presidential election less than six weeks away, the attack by the 17year-old armed with a hunting rifle seemed likely to further stimulate debate on security and fears of terrorism which are among big campaign issues.
Interior ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said eight people had been injured, and five other people were in shock after the teenager opened fire with the rifle in a high school in the town of Grasse.
The youth, who was also carrying two handguns and two grenades, was arrested at the school. Checks were underway to establish whether there was a second assailant.
“The first investigations suggest he had consulted American-style mass killings’ videos,” the spokesman said.
France has some of the strictest gun laws in the world. French citizens are banned from owning automatic weapons.
Witnesses interviewed by local television described a scene of panic as the gunman entered the canteen with students rushing to hide under tables or sprinting for the exit. “It was total panic,” Achraf, a student, said on BFM TV. “The gunshots were at 4 to 5 meters from where we were. We thought the gunman was coming towards us. We heard him shouting.
“I just know the gunman by sight. He was gentle and low-key key, not a nasty guy.”