In France, a history teacher who showed a cartoon of the Prophet was beheaded

Attacker killed, four arrested in Hebdo case hearing

(PTI) Paris, Ta. Saturday, October 17, 2020

An 18-year-old terrorist cut the throat of a school history teacher in France on Friday while showing a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed to students teaching students about freedom of expression in class. The assailant shouted slogans of Allahu-Akbar before cutting his throat.

However, later the attacker was also killed in a police ambush. French President Emmanuel Macron called the killing an Islamic terrorist attack. Following this incident, the issue of religious freedom has resumed in France.

The teacher was attacked outside a school called Conference So Honori near Paris at around 5 pm local time. The assailant attacked the youth with a knife and cut off his head. The 18-year-old attacker was shot dead by police in an altercation with police.

Police have arrested four people, including a minor, in the case. All the suspects arrested are directly involved with the accused and are also said to have helped the accused escape. The terrorist who attacked the teacher is believed to be a resident of Chechnya, Russia.

Following the teacher's assassination, the debate over religious freedom has resumed in France. President Emanuel Macron called the attack a "murder of history and an Islamic terrorist attack."

He said terrorists have attacked democracy. Macron just last week announced plans to bring in tougher legislation to protect secular values ​​in France. He visited the teacher's family.

The French parliament paid tribute to the deceased teacher and called it a ‘barbaric terrorist attack’. Sources say the history teacher showed students a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad published in the French magazine Shirley Hebdo a few years ago while discussing freedom of expression in class.

According to French media, some Muslim parents initially complained to the teacher about this. After the attack on the teacher, Shirley Hebdo tweeted that intolerance has reached a new peak and it seems that no one can stop the spread of terrorism in our country. A case is pending against 14 people in Paris for allegedly helping two jihadist attackers in the 2015 attack on the magazine Shirley Hebdo.

Twelve people, including a famous cartoonist, were killed in the incident of publishing a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad in Shirley Hebdo magazine. Five people were killed in another attack in Paris a few days later. These attacks were followed by several radical attacks in France. The attack on the teacher also comes at a time when the Shirley Hebdo assault case is being heard.