A 14-year-old schoolgirl died on the sidelines of the knife attack in Souffelweyersheim, Alsace. She had been the victim of illness during the confinement of her school.
The Sept-Arpents college, in Souffelweyersheim, in Alsace, reopened its doors this Friday, April 19 in an unfortunate context. One of its students died after the knife attack that occurred near the establishment yesterday as announced by the rectorate. The day before, the 14-year-old girl had suffered a heart attack during the confinement of the establishment put in place after the knife attack took place. The young girl "had been rescued by teachers who very quickly called the fire services. She died at the end of the afternoon" despite her emergency treatment at the hospital, declared to AFP the academy rector, Olivier Faron. The Minister of National Education, Nicole Belloubet, sent her "moved thoughts [...] to her family, her loved ones, as well as the entire educational community, who tried everything to save her".
“We are devastated, speechless,” said Georges Schuler, the mayor of Reichstett, the town where the schoolgirl lived. “There is an ongoing investigation, I cannot tell you whether this young girl had a heart condition or not.”
The school welcomed its students this Friday morning, with the reinforced presence of the gendarmerie, reports BFMTV. “The day will be devoted to listening and solidarity to try to overcome what is a terrible ordeal,” said Olivier Faron. The college will also be open on Monday, despite the start of the holidays, to offer a welcome and a listening service to families who request it.
The author of the knife attack was arrested Thursday afternoon, only a few minutes after the attacks on two girls, who left the hospital with only "light physical injuries" according to the Strasbourg public prosecutor. . He was taken into police custody and an investigation was opened for “attempted intentional homicide of a 15-year-old minor (and rebellion)”. The man's motivations were still not known Thursday evening, but they did not seem "related to radicalization." “No element of radicalization is known concerning him and no element allows these attacks to be linked to a terrorist act,” said the Strasbourg public prosecutor. According to information from BFMTV, the suspect suffers from psychiatric problems and has been out of treatment since last November.
