527 DNA tests for French high school rape suspect

PARIS (AP) — Male students and staff at a high school in western France — 527 people in total — are being asked to give DNA samples as police search for the assailant who raped a teenage girl last fall.

The La Rochelle prosecutor's office says tests began Monday morning and were expected to last through Wednesday at Fenelon-Notre Dame high school, where the 16-year-old was sexually assaulted Sept. 30 in a dark bathroom. Students received their summonses last week.

"This happened during the school day in a confined space," said Chantal Devaux, the private Roman Catholic school's director. "The decision to take such a large sample was made because it was the only way to advance the investigation."

France has an extensive DNA database and refusing a test is considered legally suspect.