French police beat up a young man who beheaded a teacher for showing pictures of Mohammed

New Islamist attack in France linked to the dissemination of images of Mohammed. France was once again the scene of an Islamist-motivated attack linked to the display of images of the prophet. In this case, a few hours ago, the victim was a secondary school teacher who had shown images of Mohammed during a class on freedom of expression.

The perpetrator of the religiously motivated murder was an 18-year-old boy who was killed shortly thereafter by the French police. Authorities identified the deceased suspect as a young Chechen national, according to the French media, since his identity has not been publicly disclosed and it is not known whether he had a criminal record.

The National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office immediately took up the case and opened an investigation into the attack, which occurred some 50 kilometres northwest of Paris and which has again struck the French nation, in this case in the sensitive area of education. 

The offensive occurred at around 5pm local time when the attacker decapitated the victim near the school where he worked, in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, in the middle of the street, while shouting "Allah is great", according to several witnesses quoted by local media.

The alleged perpetrator was stopped just 200 metres away, but already in the neighbouring town of Eragny, by a police patrol. The man approached the police officers in a threatening manner with a large knife, and they shot him, causing his death.

The suspect was wearing a belt which made it fearful that he had explosives, so a team of bomb squad went in and a security perimeter was set up. The assailant even took a picture of the decapitated head and it was shown on social networks to claim his action, but it was quickly erased. The police are investigating whether it was the attacker himself or an accomplice who posted this content on Twitter, which was accompanied by the following text: "In the name of Allah I have executed one of those hellhounds who dared to mock Mohammed," according to France Info. The message contained threats against French President Emmanuel Macron, described as "the leader of the infidels.

President Emmanuel Macron went to Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, where the victim was teaching and the murder took place, to meet with his colleagues and show his support for the education community.

After the meeting, Emmanuel Macron made official statements to the media and defined the attack as an "Islamist terrorist attack" and an offensive against the democratic and secular "values" of the French Republic. Above all, he stressed the support of the whole of France for the education community "to defend them and allow them to do their job: to make free citizens". The terrorists "will not pass" and "religious obscurantism will not win", said the French leader. 

Meanwhile, the French Education Minister, Jean-Michel Blanquer, condemned "the monstrosity of Islamic terrorism" and stated that "the Republic has been attacked tonight". He also announced that this Saturday he will meet with representatives of teachers and parents.

The entire French educational community issued a unanimous reaction condemning and defending free and secular education. This follows a brutal attack that once again brings to mind images from the past, such as the attack on members of the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo five years ago.