Girl dies from heart attack after stabbing lock-in

A FRENCH teenager died from a heart attack during a lock-in to protect students from a knifeman attacking children outside their school.

The 14-year-old went into cardiac arrest early on Thursday afternoon as the attack unfolded in the town of Souffelweyersheim, in France’s north-eastern Alsace region. She was taken to hospital but died later on Thursday.

The knifeman launched his assault outside the school at about 2pm, targeting two girls aged 11 and 7 before fleeing the scene. The pair suffered minor injuries.

The 30-year-old, who has not been named by police, struck the 11-year-old in the neck before targeting the 7-yearold shortly afterwards. The younger girl also sustained wounds to her neck.

Police locked down the girls’ school in response to the incident and apprehended the suspect about 10 minutes later. The man has no criminal record and suffers “psychiatric frailties,” local officials said.

They said he was not believed to have been radicalised and appeared to rule out any link to terrorism.

French media reported the man has received treatment for mental health issues in the past and attempted suicide in 2022. He was alleged to have been in a suicidal state when he carried out the attack. Officials described the death of the 14-year-old as a “tragedy”.

“We are devastated, speechless,” mayor Georges Schuler said.

He added an investigation into her death was ongoing amid uncertainty over whether she had suffered from a pre-existing heart condition.

Nicole Belloubet, France’s minister of national education, also expressed her condolences.

The attack took place just hours after Gabriel Attal, the prime minister, delivered a hard-line message about youth violence and school security, prompted by the killing of a student at the hands of his classmates on the outskirts of Paris earlier this month.