Teenager of Chechen origin suspect behind teacher beheading in France

President Emmanuel Macron said the French teacher who was beheaded outside a school for showing students cartoons of Prophet Mohammad was an "Islamist terrorist attack".

Newswire AFP quoting justice sources said that suspect in the French teacher beheading was an 18-year-old of Chechen origin as reports claimed five more people have been detained in connection with the killing of the teacher.

Police said the assailant was shot by cops and later died of his injuries as French anti-terror prosecutors said they were treating the assault as "a murder linked to a terrorist organisation".

At least four people linked to the attack earlier were arrested by French police officials.

The slain teacher had reportedly shown pictures of Prophet Mohammad as part of a class discussion on freedom of expression. The incident took place on Friday afternoon in a Paris suburb Conflans Saint-Honorin, nearly 30 kilometres away from the French capital.

President Macron while visiting the scene of the crime said it was "an Islamist terrorist attack".

"Our compatriot was flagrantly attacked, was the victim of an Islamist terrorist attack," Macron said, adding, "They won't win... we will act. Firmly, and quickly. You can count on my determination."

Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer in a tweet said: "This evening, it's the Republic that's under attack." Police claimed the witnesses had heard the attacker shout "Allahu Akbar".

The attack comes five years after the shooting at Charlie Hebdo's office when attackers killed employees of the magazine which had published cartoons of Prophet Mohammad.

Charlie Hebdo decided to republish the cartoons to coincide with the start of the trial of accomplices in the 2015 attack.