On Tuesday, 12 October 2026, a 14‑year‑old adolescent arrived at Lakanal middle school in Aubagne and opened fire with a shotgun. The shooting took place shortly after 9:25 a.m., according to temporal markers in the investigative file. The youngster discharged the weapon inside the school premises, striking the principal of the establishment and a teacher. While some accounts specify that the adolescent aimed at the principal and three female teachers, the confirmed injuries involve the principal and one female educator. The suspect was a pupil in the troisième class at the college.
During the attack a member of the school staff managed to disarm the teenager, preventing further shots. Following the disarmament, the adolescent was apprehended by security personnel and handed over to law enforcement. Police promptly placed the suspect’s parents in custody as investigators began to trace how the minor obtained the shotgun used in the attack. The weapon’s provenance became a central focus of the early inquiry, with officials seeking to understand the pathway that brought a firearm into the hands of a 14‑year‑old student.
On the following day, 13 October 2026, the Marseille prosecutor’s office relinquished responsibility for the case. The National Anti‑Terroism Prosecutor’s Office (Pnat/PNAT) announced that it was seizing the investigation, citing elements that pointed toward a possible terrorist motive. The transfer of jurisdiction was accompanied by the opening of a formal inquiry into attempted assassinations linked to a terrorist enterprise. The investigation is now being conducted jointly by the SDAT, the DGSI, and the regional police services, each contributing their specialist capabilities to the probe.
Authorities note the suspect’s age—14 years—and his school level, underscoring the youth of the individual involved in the violence.
Investigators have described the perpetrator as a 14‑year‑old student enrolled in the troisième grade at Lakanal college. Claims filed in the case allege that the youngster had intended to aim at the principal and three female teachers, although the actual harm caused was limited to the principal and one teacher. Authorities note the suspect’s age—14 years—and his school level, underscoring the youth of the individual involved in the violence.
A significant element that prompted the anti‑terrorism prosecutor’s involvement emerged from the examination of the suspect’s digital devices. Authorities reported that the first investigative steps, particularly the analysis of the minor’s electronic media, revealed a probable adherence to the True Crime Community (TCC). The TCC is an online movement that glorifies mass killings. The prosecutors’ statements describe the TCC as "an ecosystem of digital communities that glorify the authors of mass killings and, in certain forms, incite recourse to extreme violence." The investigators contend that the shooting was carried out within the framework of this ideology, linking the criminal act to the suspect’s alleged adherence to the movement.
Because of the suspected connection to the TCC, the case has been opened under charges of attempted assassination in relation to a terrorist enterprise. The legal basis includes allegations of terrorist association and violations of firearms legislation, both framed as being connected to a terrorist undertaking. The prosecutors’ office has emphasized that the inquiry proceeds "in the context of a flagrant investigation" for these offenses, reflecting the seriousness with which the French judicial system treats allegations that blend youth violence with extremist inspiration.
Laurent Nuñez remarked that authorities are seeking to understand how this young person came into possession of this weapon, highlighting the continuing focus on the firearm’s acquisition. The school remains closed as the investigation unfolds, and officials continue to interrogate the suspect and his family. The National Anti‑Terroism Prosecutor’s Office, the SDAT, the DGSI, and the regional police maintain active roles in the probe, while the suspect’s parents remain in police custody pending further developments.
The investigation into the October 2026 shooting at Lakanal college in Aubagne remains under the direction of the National Anti‑Terroism Prosecutor’s Office. The case intertwines questions of youth access to firearms, the influence of online extremist subcultures, and the application of terrorism‑related statutes to an act of school‑based violence. No further details about the suspect’s motives or the precise source of the shotgun have been disclosed.