A 16-year-old French high school student claiming to be

“possessed”

stabbed his Spanish-language teacher to death in the middle of class, officials said per the NY Post. 

The deadly attack happened on Wednesday at the private Catholic school of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. The victim was identified as a 54-year-old female teacher by the name of Agnes Lassalle, according to the French outlet. 

Witnesses say the suspect got out of his seat and walked to the door, before suddenly swinging around and plunging a large knife into the teacher’s chest, local newspaper Sud Ouest reported. According to the outlet, after the stabbing, the teen allegedly expressed to another teacher that he was

“possessed and heard voices telling him to kill his teacher.”

Witnesses described his demeanor after the fatal stabbing as

“calm.” 

A top government official told the local outlet that,

“early details communicated by the police suggest the teen suffers from serious mental health issues,”

reports state. Bayonne prosecutor Jerome Bourrier said the teenage suspect has since been taken into custody. 

French Education Minister Pap Ndiaye, said at a press conference held at the school, that

“about 90 students, including those who witnessed the bloody attack, along with some teachers, are receiving psychological help.”

#Clique, what are your thoughts?