What happened in Aubagne

On Monday, 12 October, a 14-year-old pupil entered the Joseph-Lakanal middle school in Aubagne, near Marseille, dressed entirely in black and wearing gloves. Prosecutors say he carried a 12-gauge over-under shotgun hidden in a guitar case and fired at the principal and a teacher shortly before 9:20 that morning. The principal, 53, and a 37-year-old female teacher were hit. The boy then went up to the second floor, fired at the floor in front of another teacher, and shot into an occupied classroom, where a round struck the blackboard. A staff member, identified by prosecutors as the school's supervisor (CPE), subdued him and disarmed him as he came down the stairs, and he was held in a room until police arrived.

Investigation and detention

The national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office (PNAT) took over the case on Tuesday, 13 October. On Wednesday, 14 October, the boy was placed under formal investigation for attempted premeditated murder linked to terrorism, participation in a terrorist conspiracy and weapons offences. Prosecutors requested pretrial detention, and three investigating judges in Paris will oversee the case. The boy had no criminal record, and an initial psychological examination found no mental disorder. He confessed to the facts and said he had planned the attack for several months, but he denied intending to kill.

The interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, reportedly said the father was detained on Monday after police found an arsenal of weapons at the family home, and that the mother was questioned. ABC reported that security forces released the parents without charge on Tuesday, 13 October. Authorities are still examining whether the father was allowed to store the weapon at home.

Motive and online links

Investigators found that the boy's accounts on ProtonMail, Discord, Snapchat and TikTok shared extremely violent content, including school massacres. The PNAT said analysis of his devices suggests probable membership in the True Crime Community, an online network that glorifies mass killers and in some cases encourages extreme violence. The boy acknowledged being fascinated by material from the community but denied acting in its name. He told investigators he wanted revenge for alleged harassment by teachers and classmates, a claim prosecutors said had not been corroborated. Prosecutors also said the attack has no link to the student protests and riots that have shaken France for three weeks, since collèges saw little of that unrest.

Injuries and aftermath

The principal remains in hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening, and prosecutors set his total work incapacity at 45 days. The teacher has left hospital, and her incapacity was set at 10 days. ABC reported that a third person suffered minor injuries. Prosecutors said several people close to the gunfire were severely shocked. Investigators seized the shotgun, 14 cartridges of which four had been fired, a folding knife, a scarf, three balaclavas, three fleece jackets, a keffiyeh and a mobile phone from the guitar case.