Slovak school stabbing kills teacher, injures two

On Tuesday, a knife-wielding 13-year-old schoolboy attacked a teacher and two others in a village near the Czech border in northwestern Slovakia, killing one teacher and injuring another adult and a fellow student, authorities said. The incident occurred early in the morning, following the conclusion of the first class.

Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok confirmed the attack, revealing that the deceased victim was a 61-year-old woman while the other two victims, a 44-year-old man and a schoolgirl, sustained stab wounds and remain hospitalized. The schoolgirl's condition is critical, experiencing severe neuralgic shock. Education Minister Tomas Drucker stated that the teacher's life was not in immediate danger. Police later announced that the situation in the village had been contained.

Nationalist Prime Minister Robert Fico conveyed his heartfelt condolences, expressing deep sorrow over the tragic event. President Peter Pellegrini also voiced his shock, criticizing the atmosphere of intolerance and aggression, particularly amplified by social media and some politicians, which he argued is influencing children's behavior in schools. He called on citizens to act in a way that calms the atmosphere, preventing further radicalization.

This is not the first such incident in Slovakia. Last January, an 18-year-old student killed a fellow student and a teacher at a secondary school in Spisska Stara Ves, northeast Slovakia, and wounded another student. In 2020, a teacher was stabbed to death, and several others were injured at an elementary school in central Slovakia, marking the first violent school attack in the central European EU and NATO member state.