With emotion and tight security, the northern French city of Arras today paid its last respects to professor Dominique Bernard, who was stabbed to death outside the high school where he taught by a former student – marked for Islamic radicalization – in a killing that brought the country on alert.

The funeral of the 57-year-old French teacher, who was married to a teacher and the father of three now grown-up daughters, was held this morning at the Arras Cathedral, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron, his wife Brigitte and Education Minister Gabriel Atal.

The ceremony, which was officiated by the Bishop of Arras, Olivier Lemborne, was broadcast on a giant screen in the city’s Heroes Square, under tight security.

Classes were canceled this morning at Gambetta-Carnot High School, where the attack took place, so staff and students could attend the funeral.

Dominique Bernard was posthumously knighted today in the Legion of Honor, France’s highest honour.

His death on October 13, almost exactly three years after the murder in the Paris region of professor Samuel Paty by a radicalized youth, shocked the country, particularly among educators.

France was raised on alert for attacks that same night of the attack, which was carried out by a 20-year-old radicalized Russian, Mohammed Moguskov, who claimed to belong to the Islamic State jihadist group.

THE Moguskov had caused panic at the school on the morning of October 13 when he arrived armed with two knives and killed Dominique Bernard, before injuring three other adults, two of them seriously, before being arrested.

The perpetrator was charged with murder in connection with a terrorist operation and was remanded in custody on Tuesday night. His 16-year-old brother is charged with accessory after the fact and a 15-year-old cousin is charged with willfully failing to prevent the crime.

Moguskov had a file for radicalization and had been monitored by the Directorate-General for Internal Security (DGSI) “since the end of July,” according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanen, because of his ties to his brother, who is jailed for his involvement in an attack plan in Paris targeting the presidential palace of the Elysées, and with his father, who also has a file on the French security services.

The latter, who was deported in 2018, is “very likely” in Georgia, according to a police source.