10 people detained in France over deadly school attack

French police have arrested 10 people following a knife attack at a school in the northern French town of Arras that left one teacher dead and two wounded.

The attack was carried out by a radical Chechen Islamist; members of his family are in custody: his sister, mother, uncle and two brothers. About this to the AFP agency, writes Le Parisien, police sources said. Last night, law enforcement officers detained two more, increasing the number of detainees to 10, among them the killer himself.

Two Belarusians, “with whom the police checked the attacker the day before the events,” are also in custody. But so far the police have no confirmation of their involvement in the crime.

Let us remind you that on October 13, a 20-year-old Islamist originally from Chechnya killed literature teacher and stabbed two others at a lyceum in the city of Arras in northern France. During the investigation, it turned out that his brother was serving a sentence for planning terrorist attacks, and he himself was under police surveillance – which, however, did not help to find out about his criminal intentions.

In connection with the terrorist attack at the school, France goes into heightened terrorist threat mode. On the afternoon of October 14, the Louvre published on its pages announcement, that the museum is suspending operations this Saturday “for safety reasons,” promising visitors a refund for tickets purchased. In a comment to AFP, a spokeswoman for the museum said that the Louvre received a written notice, which spoke of the “risks” for the museum and visitors:

“Given the conflict of the current situation and the introduction of a high terrorist threat level in the country, we decided to evacuate visitors and close the doors for the day, and in the meantime carry out the necessary checks.”

After lunch on Saturday, the Palace of Versailles was also evacuated due to a possible threat, Le Parisien reports. The reason for the evacuation was an anonymous message about an alleged bomb sent to the police mailbox. A team of specialists went to the site, and Versailles was not opened until the end of the day.

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said there is likely a connection between what is happening in the Middle East and the attack in Arras. Darmanen called for “the systematic expulsion of any foreigner whom the security services consider dangerous.” During the week in France, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 189 acts of anti-Semitism were identified.

Meanwhile, Cyprus has increased security measures for critical infrastructure. The island continues to host hundreds of people leaving Israel by sea and in military aircraft. It is reported that more than two thousand people will arrive in Cyprus this Sunday.

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