A female high school student was killed and three others were wounded in a stabbing at Toutes-Aides private high school in Nantes, France, on Thursday afternoon.
According to a police spokesperson, the attacker was also a high school student, Justin P. aged 15. He was overpowered by teachers before police arrived, and was then arrested at the scene.
A police spokesperson said there was no indication of a terrorist motive.
French media reported that at least three other victims are receiving treatment from emergency services.
According to Le Point, citing sources involved in the case, the attacker is a second-year student at the high school, and was not known to either the police or intelligence services.
Le Point added that police are investigating whether he had a disagreement with the deceased, whom he stabbed first before moving inside the school and stabbing three others. French radio station Europe1 reported that the attacker stabbed the female student after an argument on the second floor of the high school before stabbing three others on the first floor.
French President Emmanuel Macron said "a teenage girl lost her life and three other high school students were injured after a knife attack at a high school in Nantes. I extend my heartfelt thoughts to the families, the high school students and the entire educational community whose shock and sorrow the Nation shares. By their intervention, the teachers undoubtedly prevented further tragedies. Their courage commands respect."
Witness accounts
"We only see this on television. We didn't think it could happen in our school," a final-year student told Ouest-France.
Nolan, a second-year student, told Ouest-France: "I was in the foyer, we saw a lot of people running around the courtyard, I heard that someone had a knife. We didn't know whether to believe it. Then we saw someone from IT holding the door to the high school building, he was yelling at us to get out. We took refuge with the middle school students. I just learned that a student has died..."
According to Ouest-France's sources, the attacker was dressed all in black, and was also wearing a helmet and a balaclava. Two knives were found near his belongings.
Attaque au couteau au lycée Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides de #Nantes : témoignage d’une élève présente au moment de l’attaque.« Tout le monde est paniqué, on entend plein de choses de tous les côtés, on est sûrs que c’est une attaque d’un élève de seconde, un garçon ». pic.twitter.com/8tOMVi5N3Z
— CLPRESS / Agence de presse (@CLPRESSFR) April 24, 2025
Nazi ideology, manifesto
Just ten minutes before the attack, high school students at the school received a strange email from Justin P. containing a thirteen page document full of antisemitic content titled "Immune Action - Revolt is already the greatest victory we can achieve."
According to Ouest-France, the email also referenced "ecocide, institutional violence, and the system of colonization of the unconscious."
BFMTV channel viewed the document, which it called "confusing."
A classmate of the boy told reporters that the attacker had expressed Nazi sympathies.
"He spoke of Nazi ideology. We thought he just said that to make people laugh. ... What we heard is that he wanted to bring back the Nazi ideas of Hitler," she told reporters outside the school.
Another witness said Justin P. regularly discussing topics related to extremism, particularly Nazism.
"I've known him since August. He talked to us about pollution, he talked to us about Nazis, extremism, jihadism, even Anne Frank's diary, lots of stuff... But what scared me the most was when he talked to me about 9/11. That's when I was the most scared. He told us: 'It seems incredible to hijack a plane. To fly a plane without knowing how to fly it...'"
Le Parisien, citing a source close to the investigation, revealed the boy was recently summoned by management for scribbled drawings glorifying the Third Reich.