Current:Home > MarketsFrench presidential couple attend funeral service of teacher slain in school attack -Momentum Wealth Path
French presidential couple attend funeral service of teacher slain in school attack
View
Date:2025-04-17 10:37:20
ARRAS, France (AP) — Loved ones and colleagues mourned and celebrated the life of a French-language teacher who was stabbed to death in a school attack blamed on a suspected Islamic extremist. They remembered Dominique Bernard at his funeral service Thursday as a sensitive, crowd-shy man who loved literature, art and nature and was a devoted, playful mentor to his pupils.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, were among mourners at the cathedral in Arras, the northern French town where Bernard taught at the Gambetta-Carnot school. White flowers adorned the coffin. A crowd, with some people clutching white flowers, also watched the service on a giant screen in an Arras square. Bernard was 57.
His wife, Isabelle, described her husband as a great lover of literature, music, art, cinema and “the raking evening light,” who wasn’t fond of computers, crowds and social networks, didn’t have a cellphone and “didn’t like the noise and furor of the world.”
“He deeply loved his daughters, his mother and his sister. We loved one another,” she said.
A colleague recalled that Bernard would tease pupils when he caught them puffing on cigarettes outside the school, jokingly saying: “You smoking a little coffin nail?”
His killing last Friday shocked France and prompted heightened security at schools and other sites. Three other people were injured in the attack.
The alleged attacker was arrested. Identified by prosecutors as Mohammed M., he remains in detention and is under formal investigation for terror-related murder, attempted murder and other charges. France’s anti-terror prosecutor said the suspect declared allegiance to the Islamic State group in an audio message recorded before the attack.
A younger brother, also detained, is under formal investigation for complicity in terror-related murder and other charges. The anti-terror prosecutor said the 16-year-old is suspected of having provided “a certain amount of support” for the attack, of being aware of his older brother’s radicalization and of advising him how to handle knives.
A cousin is also under formal investigation on a charge of failing to prevent a crime.
The investigations allow magistrates more time to gather evidence before an eventual trial.
___
Leicester reported from Le Pecq, France.
veryGood! (67)
Related
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- These poems by Latin American women reflect a multilingual region
- 'Reservation Dogs' co-creator says the show gives audiences permission to laugh
- Federal appellate court dismisses challenge to New Jersey gun law
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Evacuation of far northern Canadian city of Yellowknife ordered as wildfires approach
- What Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey's Marriage Was Like on Newlyweds—and in Real Life
- Kellie Pickler speaks out for first time since husband's death: 'Darkest time in my life'
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- Wisconsin Republicans propose eliminating work permits for 14- and 15-year-olds
Ranking
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- A neonatal nurse in a British hospital has been found guilty of killing 7 babies
- Charlize Theron Has the Best Response to Rumors She’s Gotten Plastic Surgery
- US postal worker sentenced to federal prison for PPP loan fraud in South Carolina
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Millions of old analog photos are sitting in storage. Digitizing them can unlock countless memories
- UCLA coach Mick Cronin: Realignment not 'in the best interest of the student-athlete'
- Will PS4 servers shut down? Here's what to know.
Recommendation
Sam Taylor
Trump cancels press conference on election fraud claims, citing attorneys’ advice
Suspect in Rachel Morin's death on Maryland trail linked to LA assault by DNA, police say
Don't pay federal student loans? As pause lifts, experts warn against boycotting payments
Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
Selena Gomez Is Taking a Wrecking Ball to Any Miley Cyrus Feud Rumors
Emergency services chief on Maui resigns. He faced criticism for not activating sirens during fire
Wisconsin Republicans propose eliminating work permits for 14- and 15-year-olds