Three school attacks recently occurred in Poland, resulting in injuries to multiple individuals. (Pic Credit: Reuters)
A third attack at a Polish school in less than a week took place on Saturday, when a 21-year-old woman injured three people at an educational institution in Warsaw, police said. Police said on Saturday that they had detained 76 people across the country and inspected nearly 50,000 schools to prevent further violence, according to the AP. On Friday, schools nationwide tightened security, with 59 institutions suspending classes, many parents keeping their children at home and police patrols deployed at educational facilities. Authorities said those detained during the security operation included a 14-year-old boy from central Warsaw who was found carrying a knife with a concealed blade and 11 firecrackers. A 16-year-old from another Warsaw district was found with a butterfly knife in his school backpack.
School authorities also introduced additional precautions, including placing more staff at entrances and conducting voluntary backpack checks. Others were detained over allegedly posting pictures of knives online, threatening fellow students or making threats against schools.
The incident came as authorities intensified security measures across Poland following two school attacks earlier in the week that left one person dead and several others injured, including children.
On Wednesday, a 19-year-old student at a vocational school attacked fellow students, teachers and passersby with a sharp object, injuring nine people before fleeing. The following day, a 15-year-old attacked his former school in the same province, killing a school custodian and injuring two others in a knife attack. The heightened alert followed two violent incidents in the central province of Mazovia. The teenager, who reportedly wore a camera to record his actions, was eventually overpowered by school director Krzysztof Ochmanski. Both attacks were carried out by Polish nationals and shocked a country where school violence involving minors has emerged as a growing concern.