Police arrested the 17-year-old who burst into the school in the eastern city of Besancon and initially took 20 children hostage, Education Minister Luc Chatel said.
He released most of them over the course of the morning but kept five and their teacher for several hours in the one-storey building in the middle of a public housing estate.
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels | Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks