A teacher was attacked with a knife on Monday 27 May during her English lesson by an 18-year-old pupil in Chemillé-en-Anjou, Maine-et-Loire. She suffered minor injuries to her face

The incident occurred at around 9:45 am at the Lycée de l’Hyrôme, and was confirmed to H24 MEDIA by a source close to the investigation, in agreement with information from Le Courrier de l’Ouest. The victim, whose life is not in danger, suffered cuts to the face.

The suspect, a final year vocational student, quickly left the school through a window, leaving his weapon behind. He was apprehended by the national gendarmerie and municipal police. Some forty gendarmes were mobilised to arrest him, according to a joint statement from the prefect, the public prosecutor and the director of departmental services for national education.

An investigation into the attempted homicide was opened by the Angers public prosecutor’s office and handed over to the Cholet research brigade. The suspect, unknown to the police and the courts, had not been reported to the school. A few minutes before the attack, the teacher had spoken to the pupil about a recent absence, without any sign of tension.

Ten minutes into the lesson, the teacher was surprised and attacked in the face. The attacker’s motives remain unknown, and he has not yet provided any explanations in police custody.

A counselling unit was set up at the school, which has around 150 pupils. The school was lifted from lockdown around midday.