French prosecutors open terror probe into 14-year-old school shooting suspect
France's anti-terror prosecutors requested pretrial detention for a 14-year-old who shot a principal and teacher at a school near Marseille, prosecutors said.
French anti-terror prosecutors opened a judicial investigation on Wednesday into a school shooting that wounded two staff members near Marseille, and asked judges to remand the 14-year-old suspect in custody, the prosecutor's office said.
The boy acknowledged firing on his school's principal and a teacher with a hunting rifle during Monday's attack at Lakanal middle school in Aubagne, prosecutors said. He told investigators he had been planning the attack for months, but insisted he never meant to kill anyone.
He gave investigators a motive of revenge, saying teachers and fellow pupils had bullied him, though prosecutors said they had found nothing so far to back up that claim.
Prosecutors said the teenager walked into the school carrying a shotgun concealed inside a guitar case. He shot the principal and a teacher, then went to an upper floor, fired into the floor in front of a second teacher and sprayed shots into a classroom full of pupils. A member of staff, who had been helping move pupils and colleagues to safety, wrestled the weapon away from him as he came back down the stairs.
Doctors are treating the principal in hospital for injuries that are not life-threatening; the teacher who was also hit has already been sent home, prosecutors said. The boy has no previous criminal record, and an initial psychiatric assessment found no sign of mental illness.
A search of the teenager's phone and social media turned up an account used almost entirely to share extremely violent posts tied to the 'True Crime Community', an online network prosecutors say idolises mass killers and pushes followers towards copying them. The boy told investigators the network had shaped his thinking, but denied he carried out the attack in its name.
Officials said the planning behind the attack, the choice of a firearm and the fact he fired repeatedly at staff pointed to an act of terrorism. The case now covers attempted premeditated murder with a terrorist motive, conspiracy to commit a terrorist act and firearms offences, the prosecutor's office said. Investigators questioned the boy for the full 48 hours allowed in custody before bringing him before judges in Paris on Wednesday.
What we know
- 1 outlet · The Independent France's anti-terror prosecutors opened a judicial investigation and asked for pretrial detention for a 14-year-old suspect in Monday's school shooting in Aubagne, near Marseille.
- 2+ outlets · RTS Info, HLN The boy admitted the attack and said he had planned it for months, but denied intending to kill; he blamed bullying, which prosecutors said is uncorroborated.
- 2+ outlets · HLN, Index.hr The principal and a teacher were wounded with a shotgun; the principal remains in hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening, and the teacher has been discharged.
- 1 outlet · The Independent A staff member disarmed the boy after he fired into an occupied classroom, prosecutors said.
- 1 outlet · The Independent Investigators found the boy had accounts linked to the 'True Crime Community', an online subculture that glorifies mass killers; he denied acting in its name.
Not yet confirmed
- Unconfirmed The boy's claim that he was bullied by teachers and classmates has not been corroborated by investigators, prosecutors said.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Why it matters for Europe
Prosecutors said this is the first time French anti-terror justice has directly linked an attack to this type of profile of mass-shooting admirers, a first that has raised concern in France about online subcultures that glorify such violence and about radicalisation among minors.
Sources
Reported by 6 reports from 6 independent outlets in 5 countries.
- BFMTV: INFO BFMTV. Tirs dans un collège à Aubagne: la garde à vue de l'adolescent de 14 ans a pris fin
- BFMTV: Fusillade dans un collège d'Aubagne: la garde à vue du mineur de 14 ans a pris fin
- HLN: 14-jarige jongen die schooldirecteur en lerares in Franse school neerschoot, wilde “wraak nemen voor pesterijen”
- The Independent: French anti-terror prosecutors investigate 14-year-old arrested over school shooting
- 7sur7: Fusillade devant un collège: l’élève, 14 ans, admet une “vengeance” mais conteste la volonté de “tuer”
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- What charges does the teenager face?
- Attempted premeditated murder linked to terrorism, terrorist conspiracy and weapons offences, France's anti-terror prosecutor's office said.
- Were the victims seriously hurt?
- The principal remains in hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening; the wounded teacher has been discharged, prosecutors said.
- What motive did the suspect give?
- He said he wanted revenge for bullying by teachers and classmates, though prosecutors said this has not been corroborated.
This article was written with AI assistance from 7 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.