Teenager of Chechen origin suspected of decapitating teacher in 'Islamist attack' in Paris suburb - CNN

French President Emmanuel Macron said the teacher was a "victim of an Islamist attack." Speaking at the scene of the attack, Macron said the educator was "killed because he was teaching students freedom of speech, the freedom to believe and not believe."

Multiple French media outlets, including CNN affiliate BFMTV, reported that the teacher recently showed controversial caricatures depicting the Prophet Mohammed to his students as part of a lesson on freedom of speech.

According to the French newspaper Le Monde, some Muslim parents complained to the school about the teacher's decision to use one or more of the cartoons as part of a discussion about the Charlie Hebdo attacks.

Nordine Chaouadi, a parent of one of the pupils at the school, told Agence France-Presse that the teacher had taken the Muslim children out of the class before showing the caricatures.

"My son told me that it was just to preserve them, it was out of pure kindness, because he had to show a caricature of the prophet of Islam and simply said to the Muslim children: 'Go out, I don't want it to hurt your feelings,' that's what my son told me," he said.

Police have provided few other details about the attacker, the victim or the incident.