In brief
A woman armed with a knife stabbed three people at a secondary school in Warsaw, injuring a 17‑year‑old pupil and two women who came to submit school documents. The 21‑year‑old attacker was arrested the same day. This attack marks the third knife incident in Poland this week, following previous stabbings that killed a caretaker and injured other students. Polish authorities are investigating a possible link to an online challenge, and have increased security at schools nationwide.
A woman has been arrested after injuring three people in the third knife attack recorded at schools in Poland this week.
The 21‑year‑old used a dangerous object to attack a 17‑year‑old girl at an educational institution in the capital Warsaw, police have told news agencies PAP and AP.
It comes a day after thousands of police visited schools across Poland following two stabbing attacks earlier in the week, one of which killed a female caretaker.
A Warsaw police spokesperson said they could not confirm whether the latest incident was related to the two previous attacks.
Authorities told local media that the 17‑year‑old injured on Saturday had been taken to hospital, but her condition is not life‑threatening. Two other women aged 17 and 24, who had come to submit enrolment documents were also injured, the state news agency reported.
Police told local media that the suspected attacker was a student at the school and initial findings suggest she did not know the three victims.
Schools in Poland had been stepping up security following knife attacks at schools across the country on 7 and 8 October. Polish police said they had arrested 76 people after deploying to schools across the country.
"When it comes to the safety of Polish children and peace in our schools, there is no room for compromise," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said ahead of the operation.
Local media, citing a police spokesperson, reported authorities had information to suggest incidents this past week could be related to an internet challenge.
On Wednesday, a 19‑year‑old student attacked and injured nine people at a vocational school in the central Polish province of Mazovian.
A day later, a 37‑year‑old caretaker was killed after a 15‑year‑old entered a primary school in Leszczydół‑Nowiny, north of Warsaw.
Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński also said a 17‑year‑old was detained in the town of Sierpc, north‑west of Warsaw, after allegedly stating "on school grounds that he planned to do something… dangerous – that he intended to harm someone".
