The Prime Minister of France has elevated the country's counter-terrorism alert level to its highest status after an assailant fatally stabbed a teacher and seriously injured two others in a school

in Arras, northern France.

According to witnesses, the assailant shouted "Allahu Akbar," meaning "God is greatest," during the attack. The attacker is now in police custody. The "attack emergency" status is typically employed in response to counter-terrorism incidents and can lead to enhanced security measures and public alerts.

In response to this incident, 7,000 soldiers were mobilized for increased security patrols, and the Louvre Museum in Paris was temporarily closed for security reasons on Saturday.

Moreover, the Palace of Versailles was evacuated following a bomb threat received through an anonymous online message, as confirmed by a source close to the matter. This popular tourist attraction is expected to remain closed for the rest of the day.

The attack at Gambetta high school occurred at approximately 11:00 local time on Friday, coinciding with escalating tensions within France's substantial Muslim and Jewish communities due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin stated that there was a "no doubt" regarding the connection between the Arras attack and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The attacker, identified as 20-year-old Russian national Mohamed Mogouchkov of Chechen origin, is known to security services for his involvement in Islamist extremism. Reports suggest that he had alarmed teachers with his extremist language, and several members of his family, including a 17-year-old brother, his mother, a sister, and an uncle, have also been detained by the police.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne's decision to raise the alert level followed a security meeting with President Emmanuel Macron, who had earlier visited the school. Macron condemned the "barbarity of Islamist terrorism" and urged unity among the French people to withstand the attack and "not give in to terror or let anything divide us."

The victim of the attack was a French language teacher who was stabbed in the throat and chest. Another teacher and a security guard sustained severe injuries and are currently hospitalized. The security guard's condition is critical, with multiple knife wounds. A cleaner was less seriously injured in the attack, and no children were harmed.

Macron praised the deceased teacher for stepping forward to protect others, likely saving numerous lives.

This attack took place nearly three years after the murder and beheading of another teacher, Samuel Paty, at his school outside Paris. The perpetrator of that incident, 18-year-old Abdullakh Anzorov, a Russian Muslim refugee, was shot dead by the police shortly after the attack.

In recent years, France has experienced a series of Islamist attacks, with one of the deadliest occurring in November 2015 when gunmen and suicide bombers targeted entertainment venues and cafes in Paris, claiming the lives of 130 people. This attack was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group. Photo by Dickelbers, Wikimedia commons.