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Seven wounded in Poland school stabbing attack: police
Confirmed
In Short: Seven people were injured in a school attack in Poland, while another incident at a convent left one priest dead and four others wounded.
Arabnews (Saudi Arabia) reported that seven people were injured in a knife attack at a high school in Ostroleka, north of Warsaw, where a 19-year-old suspect was arrested. The Jerusalem Post (Israel) confirmed the arrest of a student near the town beach, adding that the situation was under control.
Thenightly (Australia) and OSV News reported a separate stabbing at a Catholic convent in southeastern Poland, where a priest was killed and four others injured. The Ukrainian embassy condemned the attack, according to BBC (United Kingdom).
Arabnews noted that the injured included three adults and five teenagers, while Thenightly stated that the suspect was a Ukrainian man detained after the attack.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the school attack involved a 19-year-old student, while Thenightly and OSV News detailed the convent attack, which involved a 31-year-old Ukrainian citizen.
The attacks occurred on different days: the school incident on Wednesday and the convent attack on Thursday, according to Thenightly and OSV News.
Arabnews and The Jerusalem Post agreed that the school attack involved a single suspect, while Thenightly and OSV News reported that the convent attack involved multiple suspects, including four men and one woman.
In both cases, the injured were taken to hospitals, with some suffering serious injuries, according to Thenightly.
The attacks have prompted condolences from Poland and Ukraine, with Church leaders calling for forgiveness and unity, as reported by Ncronline.
Sister Barbara Dendor, superior of the Benedictine community in Jaroslaw, told Poland’s Catholic Information Agency, KAI, that the attack began shortly before Mass, according to OSV News.
Father Adrian Mantykiewicz, who survived the attack, returned to the altar with a message of forgiveness during a Mass at the Benedictine Sisters' abbey in Jaroslaw.
The attacks in Poland underscore the ongoing challenges in ensuring safety in schools and religious sites, with varying reports on the number of suspects and victims, but a consensus on the need for immediate medical attention and community support.
What's confirmed
- Seven people were injured in a knife attack at a school in Ostroleka, north-eastern Poland, police said on Wednesday, adding that the attacker had been detained.
- Police have detained a Ukrainian man in the wake of the attack.
- A priest has been killed and four other people injured in a knife attack in south-east Poland, officials have said.
What's still developing
- The attack happened at a school in Ostroleka, 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital Warsaw, said police, who released a blurred photo of the suspect following his arrest.
- “It appears that the boy went into the school and attacked the students and teachers with a dangerous tool,” Lukasiewicz told news channel TVN24.
- Police initially told Polish news agency PAP that one of the men had died.
- "As a disciple of Jesus Christ, in my own name, in Father Marek's name and in Father Stanislaw's name, I want to say very clearly that we forgive," Mantykiewicz said during a Sept. 26 Mass at the Benedictine Sisters' abbey in Jaroslaw in a homily that has since gone viral in Poland, sparking thousands of reactions from politicians, clergy and other users on social media.
- Some local media outlets in Poland report that the deceased man is a Catholic priest.
- She also said the suspect was being held at the Jarosław police station.
- Jarosław County Police Headquarters received a report at around 9:30 a.m.
- "The most important information is that the situation has been brought under control," Mayor Pawel Niewiadomski said in a statement.