BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Authorities reported that an 18-year-old student fatally stabbed two individuals at a northern Slovak high school on Thursday.
One additional person sustained serious injuries and remains in critical condition, as communicated by the Slovak rescue service. The violent incident occurred in Spisska Stara Ves, a small town near the Polish border, which is home to more than 2,000 residents.
Initially, the suspect fled the scene; however, law enforcement officials confirmed that he was apprehended shortly after the incident.
According to police reports, the attacker targeted a teacher along with two students in an unprovoked assault. Further details about the exact circumstances surrounding the stabbings have not yet been disclosed.
As confirmed by the rescue service, the deceased victims included a 51-year-old female deputy principal and an 18-year-old female student.
In response to the tragic event, President Peter Pellegrini expressed his condolences and described the incident as “a real tragedy.” He was joined by Prime Minister Robert Fico in extending sympathies to the victims’ families. Pellegrini emphasized that violence is not a solution, asserting, “No problem in the world can be solved with a knife or any other weapon.”
Both Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok and Education Minister Tomáš Drucker were sent to the affected town to assess the situation firsthand.
Drucker acknowledged the necessity for action to prevent similar occurrences in the future and emphasized the importance of safeguarding students and teachers.
Incidents of this nature are relatively uncommon in Slovakia. In 2020, a former student carried out an attack at a high school in Vrutky, resulting in the death of the deputy principal and injuring five others, including two students. Additionally, in 2022, a student assaulted a female peer at a high school in Novaky, highlighting the concerning though infrequent nature of such violence.
The report has been revised to clarify that the population of Spisska Stara Ves is over 2,000, contrasting with an earlier incorrect figure of 17,000.
