Third School Attack in a Week in Poland

WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Authorities have reported a third assault at a Polish school in under a week. This incident occurred on Saturday when a 21-year-old woman injured three individuals at a school in Warsaw.

The attacker utilized a “dangerous object” to harm a 17-year-old girl and also injured two others, aged 17 and 24, as confirmed by police spokesman Jakub Filipiak. Fortunately, none of the injuries sustained were life-threatening.

This latest attack followed the detention of 76 individuals by police across Poland, who also checked nearly 50,000 schools in a bid to prevent further violent incidents after two previous attacks during the week.

On Friday, security at schools nationwide was heightened. Many schools opted to suspend classes, and numerous parents chose to keep their children home. Additionally, police were deployed to various educational institutions following the earlier attacks that resulted in one death and several injuries, including among children.

Earlier in the week, specifically on Wednesday, a 19-year-old student in central Poland attacked fellow students, teachers, and bystanders with a sharp object, injuring nine before fleeing and being captured. The next day, a 15-year-old fatally attacked a custodian and wounded two others at his former school in the same region.

The shocking nature of these assaults has sent ripples through a country where such violence by minors is relatively new. By Thursday evening, discussions about potential coordination of the attacks circulated among parents online and in media outlets.

In response to the situation, 59 schools preemptively canceled classes on Friday, primarily in the Mazovian district, which includes Warsaw. School officials communicated enhanced security measures, which included increased staff at entrances and optional backpack inspections.

“There will be no compromise here. The safety of the youth is the most important thing,” said Interior Minister Marcin Kierwi’nski.

The detained individuals included a 14-year-old from a central Warsaw district who was found with a concealed knife and 11 firecrackers, as well as a 16-year-old from another district carrying a butterfly knife. Others had threatened their classmates or shared online images of weapons, raising concerns about school safety.

As of now, the government has not found any evidence of an online challenge inciting these attacks, and there is no official confirmation linking the two incidents, although both attackers are currently in custody.

Parents are now working to address the issue of school violence with their children. Authorities stated that additional security measures will remain in effect and that crisis training will be organized. The current government also pledged to renew attempts to legislate against harmful online content.

“If that juvenile attacker had streamed the crime online today, we would have been unable to block that content because we have not been given that legal tool,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk remarked.

During Thursday’s assault, after injuring three adults, the 15-year-old, who had been recording his actions with a camera, was eventually subdued by school director Krzysztof Ochma’nski. Ochma’nski later recounted a moment when the boy appeared to comprehend the gravity of his actions, expressing a desire to stop.

“Once I had established contact, he asked me for help,” Ochma’nski remembered. “It got to the point where he wanted a hug.”