In brief
A shooting broke out at Lakanal Middle School in Aubagne on Monday, resulting in a principal and a teacher sustaining non‑life‑threatening injuries. The nine‑year‑old pupil, aged 14, was apprehended immediately and is now in custody. French authorities confirmed the incident is unrelated to the ongoing protests over school conditions. Education Minister and Interior Minister visited the scene together to assess the situation.
14‑year‑old arrested after shots fired at French school
A shooting broke out at Lakanal Middle School in Aubagne on Monday, the day after protests against poor school conditions escalated in several French cities.
The ninth‑grade pupil, aged 14, was detained immediately after the incident. Twelve pupils were confined within seconds, and no children were harmed.
According to the mayor of Aubagne, Jean‑Pierre Squillari, the student entered the school with a gun before several shots were heard; a staff member restrained him.
The principal (53) was shot in the leg and the teacher (37) sustained a thigh wound; both received medical attention and are not in a life‑threatening condition.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray posted on social media that the incident is not linked to ongoing protests. He will join Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez at the site with the police to investigate further.
Sources report the fire was triggered by a claim of a malfuction in the school’s electrical system, but investigators are still determining if it was accidental or intentional. The case is currently being handled by the local prosecutor’s office.
