On 10 October in Warsaw, a 21-year-old student injured three people at an educational institution on Minska Street. The police have detained the woman, who, according to preliminary reports, was a student there and did not know the victims. One of the injured was hospitalised, but her condition is not life-threatening. The incident was the third attack involving a sharp object at Polish educational institutions in four days.
Briefly about the main points
- Two 17-year-old girls and a 24-year-old woman were injured.
- A dangerous object was taken from the suspect before the police arrived.
- Investigators are establishing the motives behind the attack in the Prague-South area.
- The authorities have not confirmed the theory that this was a coordinated online challenge.
- The police inspected around 50,000 establishments and other premises.
The attack took place near the administration office of a private institution
The incident took place at around 12.30 pm at a private educational institution in the Praga-Południe district of Warsaw. According to a spokesperson for the Warsaw police Jakub Filipiak, the police received a report that a dangerous object had been used. Polish radio station RDC reported that the attack took place near the secretariat.
According to preliminary reports, the woman first attacked a 17-year-old girl, after which two further people were injured. The victim was taken to hospital with cuts to her forearm; her life is not in danger. The other two women sustained minor injuries and did not require hospitalisation.
The dangerous object was taken from the attacker before the police arrived. The police are investigating her motives.
Prior to the Warsaw incident, attacks took place in Ostrołęka and Leszczydula-Nowiny
On 7 October in Ostrolenka, a 19-year-old student at a vocational college attacked pupils, teachers and passers-by with a sharp object. According to the Associated Press, nine people were injured. The suspect was arrested near the scene of the incident.
The following day, in the village of Leszczydół-Nowiny in the Masovian Voivodeship, a 15-year-old former pupil attacked school staff. A 37-year-old female member of staff was killed, and two other staff members were injured. Investigators established that the teenager had a camera with him and was recording his actions.
The authorities have found no evidence of a coordinated series of attacks
Following these incidents, reports circulated on Polish social media and in parents« groups alleging that ‘Black Friday» — an online challenge inciting attacks in educational institutions. Such rumours were circulating widely in the run-up to 9 October.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Digitalisation Krzysztof Gawkowski stated that there was no confirmed evidence of an organised challenge or a coordinated series of attacks. The investigation also failed to establish that the attackers from different towns knew one another or had coordinated their actions.
According to Gavkovsky, the authorities have stepped up their monitoring of the internet and are investigating reports of threats. The police, the Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime and other relevant agencies have been brought in to assist with this work.
The police have stepped up checks on educational establishments and online threats
As of 10 October, law enforcement agencies had inspected around 50,000 educational establishments and other premises. During these preventative measures, 76 people were detained. Most cases involved teenagers who had posted threats online or brought dangerous items into educational establishments.
A 14-year-old schoolboy was arrested in Warsaw in possession of a knife with a concealed blade and 11 firecrackers. Another pupil, aged 16, was detained after a knife was found in his rucksack. Due to fears of possible attacks, 59 schools temporarily suspended lessons on 9 October, with the highest number in the Mazovia Voivodeship.
Minister of the Interior Marcin Kerwinski stated that the safety of children and staff at educational establishments is a national priority. The government is considering strengthening mechanisms for responding to harmful content on social media, whilst the police are continuing their investigation into the Warsaw attack and looking into reports of other potential threats.
