In Croatia, a teenager killed a 7-year-old student and injured four others in a knife attack on a school

DARKO BANDYCH, Associated Press

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A knife-wielding teenager entered a school in the Croatian capital Zagreb on Friday, killing a 7-year-old student and injuring three other children and a teacher, authorities said.

Authorities reported that the knife attack took place at 9:50 a.m. at the Prechko elementary school in the neighborhood of the same name. They described the assailant as a 19-year-old man and said he was arrested after he self-inflicted.

Croatian Interior Minister Davor Božinović said that one child was killed, and three children and a teacher were injured.

“The attacker is a 19-year-old boy, a former student of this school, who still lives nearby,” said Minister of Internal Affairs Davor Bozhinovych. “Later, he began to injure himself. The police prevented him from committing suicide.”

Božinović said the attacker was registered as having a history of mental health problems and had already tried to take his own life: “It’s hard to say that this person was mentally stable.”

A video released by Croatian media shows children fleeing the school building and a medical helicopter landing in the school yard.

The authorities of Zagreb declared Saturday a day of mourning. President Zoran Milanovic said “there are no words to describe the grief over the terrible and incredible tragedy that shocked us all today.” Milanovych called for unity and efforts to make schools a safe and carefree place for children.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic told a cabinet meeting that he was “horrified” by the attack and that authorities were still working to determine what exactly happened. Plenkovic said that several children were taken to various hospitals in Zagreb.

State television HRT reported that the attacker entered the school and went straight into the first classroom he found and attacked the children.

Attacks on schools in Croatia are rare. Last May, a teenager in neighboring Serbia opened fire at a school in the capital Belgrade, killing nine fellow students and a school guard.

Associated Press writers Jovana Goec and Dusan Stojanovych contributed to this story.

Originally published: December 20, 2024 at 5:38 am PST