Latest news with #AntoineLeroy
Local France
26-04-2025
- Local France
Suspected killer in French school attack a loner with no clear motive, prosecutor says
The teenage boy killed the girl in a stabbing spree on Thursday at the private school in Nantes, inflicting 57 knife wounds in her body, mainly to the upper torso, skull and throat, according to prosecutor Antoine Leroy. The attack prompted new soul-searching in France about teen violence and school security, with the prime minister suggesting metal detectors to prevent future attacks. Investigators are working to determine the motive of the youth, who also wounded three other pupils in Thursday's attack at the Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides high school. The suspect, a teenager in the second year of high school, was arrested but then hospitalised Thursday evening, rather than being placed in detention, after a psychiatric examination. The teen is "extremely solitary", fascinated by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and with "evidently suicidal" tendencies, said prosecutor Antoine Leroy, however adding that "no motive" could be put forward in a "certain manner" at this stage. Witnesses said teachers overpowered the teenage student -- whose identity has not been revealed but who a fellow pupil also said had expressed an admiration for Adolf Hitler. The suspect had sent a rambling email about "globalisation" to other students just before the attacks. High school senior Antonin was among those who joined the mourners outside the school. He had brought a white rose to show victims "we're thinking of them", he said. Advertisement Worried parents On Friday morning, one parent, who identified himself as Antoine, had dropped off his daughter at the school's primary section. "We tried to find the right words to tell her about the girl's death yesterday," said the 44-year-old IT manager. But he said he needed more time before he could talk about the tragedy with his older daughter, a pupil at the high school. "It's not a bad thing that the youngest ones are back at school today because they can ask the teaching staff questions if they need to," he added. But another parent, Olivia, 37, said she felt anxious about her child being back in the classroom. "I admit that I found it difficult to drop my son off at school this morning," said the nursing assistant and mother of four. "Normally, school is a place where nothing can happen," she added. The knife attack is the latest in a series that has shocked France. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Thursday called for a response to the "endemic violence" among some youths and demanded proposals to prevent further violence. "These weapons must be banned," said Bayrou, raising the possibility of metal detectors as "one option". Advertisement 'Can't police every kid' Figures on the right hailed the idea, with some calling for even tougher security measures. "Metal detectors, video surveillance with facial recognition -- nothing should be ruled out," said right-wing lawmaker Eric Ciotti. But the left decried the cost and pushed for a focus on mental health. "It would cost 100,000 euros (more than $110,000) per school. There are 12,000 schools in our country, so you can quickly do the math," hard-left member of European parliament Manon Aubry told broadcaster FranceInfo. "On average, there is one psychologist for every 1,500 students in our schools," she added, calling for action to address "the causes" of violence. One student, who asked to remain anonymous, on Thursday said the assailant "was known to be depressed, he said he loved Hitler". The suspect sent a long email to fellow pupils before the attack, in which he said: "Globalisation has transformed our system into a machine to decompose humanity." In the email, which a pupil showed to AFP, the attacker advocated a "biological revolt" to facilitate a return to "the natural order of things, even if cruel" instead of "globalised ecocide". One mother who did not give her name called metal detectors "pointless", as she dropped off her son at the memorial service. "You can't police every kid," she said. The attack "just shows that we need to support them and help them more".
Borneo Post
26-04-2025
- Borneo Post
Suspect in France school attack described as loner who admired Hitler
A police car drives to the Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides secondary school, where one pupil has been killed and three others injured in a knife attack. – AFP photo PARIS (April 26): The 16-year-old accused of stabbing his classmates at a secondary school in western France, killing one student, has been described by those who knew him as a loner who admired Adolf Hitler, a public prosecutor said on Friday, German news agency7 (dpa) reported. The knife attack took place on Thursday at a private Catholic school in the city of Nantes. A 16-year-old girl was killed by the suspect, and two other students, aged 15 and 16, were injured. The teen did not give any reasons for his actions after his arrest on Thursday and has been temporarily admitted to a psychiatric ward, said Nantes public prosecutor Antoine Leroy. He said the attacker attended classes as usual that morning before arming himself with a hunting knife and putting on a mask in a school bathroom around midday. He then entered a classroom and fatally stabbed the girl – who was said to have been the only peer with whom he had a positive relationship — 57 times. He then went on to randomly attack other students in a separate classroom. The rampage was stopped by a school IT technician who entered the room and struck the attacker with a chair, then held him at bay until police arrived. Leroy said the teenager had no prior contact with law enforcement. However, his mother had sought help earlier this year for his increasing social isolation, and he had attended six sessions at a counselling centre, he said. School officials had also raised concerns over his admiration for Hitler, prompting a meeting with school management and his mother earlier this month. On Friday, students and members of the public laid flowers outside the school in tribute to the slain girl. – Bernama-dpa crime France school attack stabbing
Observer
25-04-2025
- Observer
Community seeks answers in French school killing
NANTES: Mourners on Friday placed flowers in front of the French private school where a student killed a girl in a stabbing spree that prompted demands for tighter security in classes. High school senior Antonin said he was "sad and shocked" by the attack on Thursday. He said he had brought a white rose to show victims "we're thinking of them". Investigators are working to determine the motive of the youth, who also wounded three other pupils at the Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides high school in the western city of Nantes. The most seriously wounded of the three was "doing better" on Friday morning, Nantes prosecutor Antoine Leroy said. Witnesses said teachers overpowered the teenage student, whose identity has not been revealed. He was detained by police then hospitalised after a psychiatric examination. The suspect had sent a rambling email about "globalisation" to other students just before the attacks. On Friday morning, one parent, who identified himself as Antoine, was dropping off his daughter in third grade at the school's primary section. "We tried to find the right words to tell her about the girl's death yesterday," said the 44-year-old IT manager. But he said he needed more time before he could talk about the tragedy with his older daughter, a pupil at the high school. "It's not a bad thing that the youngest ones are back at school today because they can ask the teaching staff questions if they need to," he added. But another parent, Olivia, 37, said she felt anxious about her child being back in the classroom. "I admit that I found it difficult to drop my son off at school this morning," said the nursing assistant and mother of four. "Normally, school is a place where nothing can happen," she added. The knife attack is the latest in a series that has shocked France. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called for a response to the "endemic violence" among some youths and demanded proposals to prevent further violence. "These weapons must be banned," said Bayrou, raising the possibility of metal detectors as "one option". The suspect sent a long email to fellow pupils before the attack, in which he said: "Globalisation has transformed our system into a machine to decompose humanity." President Emmanuel Macron on X hailed the courage of the teachers who intervened and "likely prevented other tragedies". — AFP
RTHK
25-04-2025
- RTHK
Suspected killer in French school attack 'a loner'
Suspected killer in French school attack 'a loner' The local prosecutor says the 15-year-old victim suffered 57 stab wounds. Photo: AFP The schoolboy suspected of brutally stabbing to death a 15-year-old girl at their school in western France was a loner fascinated by Adolf Hitler, but had no clear motive for an attack which shocked the country, the prosecutor said on Friday. The teenage boy killed the girl in a stabbing spree on Thursday at the private school in Nantes, inflicting 57 knife wounds to her body, mainly to the upper torso, skull and throat, according to prosecutor Antoine Leroy. The attack prompted new soul-searching in France about teen violence and school security, with the prime minister suggesting metal detectors to prevent future attacks. Investigators are working to determine the motive of the youth, who also wounded three other pupils in Thursday's attack at the Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides high school. The suspect, a teenager in the second year of high school, was arrested but then hospitalised on Thursday evening, rather than being placed in detention, after a psychiatric examination. The teen is "extremely solitary," fascinated by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and with "evidently suicidal" tendencies, said prosecutor Antoine Leroy, however adding that "no motive" could be put forward in a "certain manner" at this stage. Witnesses said teachers overpowered the teenage student – whose identity has not been revealed, but who a fellow pupil also said had expressed an admiration for Adolf Hitler. The suspect had sent a rambling email about "globalisation" to other students just before the attacks. (AFP)
Int'l Business Times
25-04-2025
- Int'l Business Times
Community Seeks Answers After French School Knife Killing
Hundreds of mourners holding white flowers gathered on Friday at the French private school where a student killed a girl in a stabbing spree, as the prime minister suggested metal detectors to prevent future attacks. Investigators are working to determine the motive of the youth, who also wounded three other pupils in Thursday's attack at the Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides high school in the western city of Nantes. The most seriously wounded of the three was "doing better" on Friday morning, Nantes prosecutor Antoine Leroy told reporters. Witnesses said teachers overpowered the teenage student -- whose identity has not been revealed but who a fellow pupil said had expressed an admiration for Adolf Hitler. He was detained by police then hospitalised after a psychiatric examination. The suspect had sent a rambling email about "globalisation" to other students just before the attacks. High school senior Antonin was among those who joined the mourners outside the school. He had brought a white rose to show victims "we're thinking of them", he said. On Friday morning, one parent, who identified himself as Antoine, had dropped off his daughter at the school's primary section. "We tried to find the right words to tell her about the girl's death yesterday," said the 44-year-old IT manager. But he said he needed more time before he could talk about the tragedy with his older daughter, a pupil at the high school. "It's not a bad thing that the youngest ones are back at school today because they can ask the teaching staff questions if they need to," he added. But another parent, Olivia, 37, said she felt anxious about her child being back in the classroom. "I admit that I found it difficult to drop my son off at school this morning," said the nursing assistant and mother of four. "Normally, school is a place where nothing can happen," she added. The knife attack is the latest in a series that has shocked France. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Thursday called for a response to the "endemic violence" among some youths and demanded proposals to prevent further violence. "These weapons must be banned," said Bayrou, raising the possibility of metal detectors as "one option". Figures on the right hailed the idea, with some calling for even tougher security measures. "Metal detectors, video surveillance with facial recognition -- nothing should be ruled out," said right-wing lawmaker Eric Ciotti. But the left decried the cost and pushed for a focus on mental health. "It would cost 100,000 euros (more than $110,000) per school. There are 12,000 schools in our country, so you can quickly do the math," hard-left member of European parliament Manon Aubry told broadcaster FranceInfo. "On average, there is one psychologist for every 1,500 students in our schools," she added, calling for action to address "the causes" of violence. One student, who asked to remain anonymous, on Thursday said the assailant "was known to be depressed, he said he loved Hitler". The suspect sent a long email to fellow pupils before the attack, in which he said: "Globalisation has transformed our system into a machine to decompose humanity." In the email, which a pupil showed to AFP, the attacker advocated a "biological revolt" to facilitate a return to "the natural order of things, even if cruel" instead of "globalised ecocide". "You can't police every kid," she said. The attack "just shows that we need to support them and help them more". The knife attack in Nantes has sparked a debate about tougher school security measures AFP The suspect sent a long email to other students ahead of the attack AFP Students brought white flowers the day after the attack AFP
