What went through the mind of Justin P., a 16-year-old solitary and introverted high school student, before he spread terror in the classrooms of Notre-Dame-de-Toutes-Aides, his private school in Nantes, western France? On Thursday, April 24, shortly after 12:30 pm, the teenager, who enjoyed spending hours alone in the forest after school with his knife and airsoft gear, stabbed four classmates.

One of his victims, Lorène, 15, died from his blows. Another student, who was in critical condition, is now "out of danger," Nantes Prosecutor Antoine Leroy said on Friday.

The teenager's custody was lifted Thursday evening after a psychiatrist concluded that his health condition was incompatible with the measure. Twenty-four hours after the tragedy, investigators were still struggling to determine the motive for his actions. "For the moment, we don't have a clear picture," explained a source close to the case. "No motive can be established with any certainty," confirmed the prosecutor at a press briefing on Friday.

The possibility that the friend-less high-schooler was emotionally and socially frustrated is one of the findings that has emerged from the investigation. According to his statements in police custody, revealed by Presse Océan and seen by Le Monde, Justin P. had planned on the morning of the incident to have a discussion with one of his victims, Lorène, "the only person at the school with whom he had meaningful conversations," according to the prosecutor.

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