Second School Knife Attack in Two Days Kills Caretaker in Poland; Tusk Warns of Copycat Wave

LESZCZYDOL-NOWINY, Poland — A 15-year-old former pupil wearing a helmet-mounted camera and carrying three knives carried out a second Poland school attack in two days on Thursday morning, killing a 37-year-old caretaker at a primary school in Leszczydol-Nowiny, Wyszkow County, northeast of Warsaw.

The attack happened at around 0700 GMT. The school principal and a teacher were injured while trying to restrain the attacker; Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Galecka said their lives are not in danger. The motive is unknown, and the attacker is now a student at a vocational school.

FAKTA

• On Thursday morning (~0700 GMT), a 15-year-old former pupil attacked people at a primary school in Leszczydol-Nowiny, Wyszkow County, northeast of Warsaw, carrying three knives and wearing a helmet-mounted camera.
• A 37-year-old woman employed as a caretaker was killed. “She was the first person attacked with a sharp object,” police spokesperson Katarzyna Kucharska told TVN24.
• The school principal and a teacher were injured while restraining the attacker; Interior Ministry spokesperson Karolina Galecka said their lives are not in danger.
• On Wednesday, a 19-year-old wounded 10 people with a machete at a vocational school in Ostroleka; a homemade explosive device that nearly detonated was found in his backpack.
• Also on Wednesday, a 17-year-old was detained in Sierpc after teachers reported him; police found two knives and online searches about orchestrating a violent event on his devices.
• Prime Minister Donald Tusk called an emergency meeting, ordered police to visit schools daily, and warned of a “grim copycat phenomenon”.

Investigating the Poland School Attack

Police in Wyszkow County are investigating the Thursday attack, the second serious assault on a Polish school in as many days. The attacker, a 15-year-old former pupil of the primary school, arrived wearing a helmet-mounted camera and carrying three knives. It remains unclear whether the camera actually recorded the attack.

The victim, a 37-year-old woman employed as a caretaker at the school, was the first person attacked, police spokesperson Katarzyna Kucharska told TVN24. “She was the first person attacked with a sharp object,” Kucharska said. The motive is not yet known.

Machete Attack in Ostroleka a Day Earlier

On Wednesday, a 19-year-old armed with a machete wounded 10 people at a vocational school in Ostroleka in northeastern Poland: five students, two teachers, two bystanders, and the attacker himself, who also self-harmed. National prosecutor Dariusz Korneluk told TVN24 that a homemade explosive device that nearly detonated was found in the attacker’s backpack.

Bomb disposal experts were called in, and all schools in Ostroleka were closed. On the same day, police in Sierpc in north-central Poland detained a 17-year-old after teachers reported him. Officers found two knives, and Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski said online searches about orchestrating a violent event were recovered from the teenager’s devices, suggesting a planned attack was foiled.

Tusk Orders Daily Police Visits to Schools

Prime Minister Donald Tusk called an emergency meeting after the attacks and ordered police to visit schools daily. He said the authorities fear a “grim copycat phenomenon” following the back-to-back incidents.

Tusk noted that for the first time, police had faced an attacker wearing a helmet-mounted camera with the apparent intention of filming the attack, though it is not confirmed that any footage was made.

Internet Challenge Link Remains Unconfirmed

Police are investigating whether the incidents are linked to an internet challenge, but officials stressed this is only an investigated lead and has not been confirmed. Such attacks are rare in Poland, although in September a 13-year-old was detained with a knife on suspicion of planning an attack.

Watan News will continue to follow this developing story — see our English world news coverage for the latest updates.