Pupil Fatally Stabs Teacher, Injures Two Others at Slovak Elementary School
Authorities are investigating the motive behind the attack, which has prompted condolences from top Slovak officials.
A pupil at an elementary school in northwestern Slovakia fatally stabbed a teacher on Tuesday and injured at least two other people, authorities reported. The motive for the attack remains unclear, and it was not immediately confirmed if the perpetrator was in police custody. Police stated that the situation is under control and poses no further public threat.
The deceased teacher was a 61-year-old woman. Among the injured were a student in critical condition and another 41-year-old female teacher who sustained serious injuries and was hospitalized, according to the Slovak rescue service.
President Peter Pellegrini expressed deep sadness over the incident and offered condolences to the victims' families. Prime Minister Robert Fico also extended his sympathies. Pellegrini called the event a "serious warning to our entire society," emphasizing the need for greater societal calm, respect, and mutual regard.
Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok, Education Minister Tomáš Drucker, and Health Minister Kamil Šaško traveled to the town where the incident occurred.
This is not the first such incident in Slovakia in recent years. In a similar event last year, an 18-year-old student fatally stabbed a deputy principal and another student at a high school. In 2020, a 22-year-old former student attacked a high school, killing the deputy principal and wounding five others. In 2022, a high school student injured a female pupil in an attack at another high school.