PARIS (AP) — French authorities say a suspect shot dead by police after the beheading of a history teacher near Paris was an 18-year-old Chechen refugee unknown to intelligence services who posted a grisly claim of responsibility on social media minutes after the attack. France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office says authorities have arrested nine suspects, including the teen's grandfather, parents and 17-year-old brother. Authorities say the teacher had discussed caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad with his class. Islam prohibits images of the prophet, asserting that they lead to idolatry.
![items.[0].image.alt](https://ewscripps.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6b8f833/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5472x3078+0+285/resize/1280x720!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fewscripps-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fc4%2Ffd%2Ff72742c944389370a5f97c374df5%2Fap20290696326892.jpg)
Michel Euler/AP
French police officers gather outside a high school after a history teacher who opened a discussion with students on caricatures of Islam's Prophet Muhammad was beheaded, Friday, Oct. 16, 2020 in Conflans-Saint-Honorine, north of Paris. Police have shot the suspected killer dead. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Posted at 3:19 PM, Oct 17, 2020
and last updated 2020-10-17 15:20:01-04
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
