France charges teen shooter citing revenge for bullying in school

A 14-year-old charged with attempted murder in France after wounding a principal and a teacher in a school shooting this week said he acted out of revenge for bullying, prosecutors have said.

The French teenager, who carried out the attack on Monday using small hunting pellets in the southern town of Aubagne near Marseille, was charged and remanded in custody late on Wednesday.

The incident, at a middle school for 11- to 15-years-olds, is not thought to have any link with ongoing high school protests nationwide to demand better learning conditions.

During questioning, the suspect spoke of a "desire for revenge, due to bullying by teachers and classmates", the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office said.

It said the investigation had not so far shown any such harassment.

The adolescent admitted to having been influenced by an online subculture that celebrates mass shootings like those in the United States, called the true crime community, but said he did not act in its name, it added.

A source following the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he did not express any regrets.

His lawyer, Fabrice Giletta, said the adolescent did not intend to kill, arguing "he took care to aim at areas that were not vital" on the bodies of his targets.

"He is a 14-year-old minor who is becoming aware of the objective seriousness of the acts committed," he added.

The boy entered his middle school on Monday morning "dressed entirely in black and wearing gloves", according to prosecutors.

In a guitar case, he had concealed a firearm, a scarf, three balaclavas, three fleece jackets and a mobile phone.

A second source following the case, asking to remain anonymous, said he had also carried live ammunition.

"The young man had taken several types of ammunition with him, including 12-gauge, which is used for wild boar hunting, for example, but he loaded his shotgun at random and ended up using birdshot," the source said.

There has been a spate of violent incidents at French schools in recent months, prompting bag checks on entry in some establishments.

In February, a 14-year-old stabbed an art teacher in southern France at least three times, leaving the 60-year-old in critical condition.

A 14-year-old student fatally stabbed a teaching assistant in eastern France in June last year.

Another pupil carried out a stabbing spree in several classrooms in April last year, wounding four children.