French officials said a man was killed in a gruesome attack near Paris on Friday, prompting authorities to launch a terror investigation.
Officials said the suspect, a male, was shot and killed after the incident. Local reports said the suspect beheaded a man in Conflans Sainte-Honorine, north-west of Paris, although other reports said his throat was cut by the assailant.
Local Mayor Eragny Thibault Humbert, in describing the attack to Europe 1, said, “It’s unbelievably violent.”
“It is necessary to underline the speed with which the police officers neutralized the individual,” he said.
Police told media outlets that the victim was a middle school teacher who held a class on freedom of speech, displaying a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who was heading to Morocco, said he would return immediately to Paris, as reported by Le Monde. He met Prime Minister Jean Castex and President Emmanuel Macron.
France’s interior minister, Gerald Darmani, said several weeks ago that the country’s terrorism risk is “extremely high.”