STORY: A teacher has been stabbed to death by a student in the French town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

Officials say the victim was a Spanish language teacher.

The 16-year-old attacker told another teacher he was possessed and heard voices instructing him to carry out the attack, a source with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters.

Pap Ndiaye is France’s education minister.

“Nothing allowed to foresee such a horrendous event. The principal as well as the professors all told me that this establishment was a very calm one, known for its seriousness and the serenity of its educational environment."

A local newspaper reported that the student stood up in class and walked to the door before turning around and stabbing the teacher, citing two students who witnessed the attack.

A local prosecutor said the student was being held in custody and that a murder investigation is underway.