Seven injured in knife attack at Polish vocational school

A 19-year-old student has been detained after a knife attack at a vocational school in Ostrołęka, north-eastern Poland, in which police said seven people were injured — a figure they described as preliminary and tentative.

Police spokeswoman Katarzyna Kucharska told Reuters the student was detained near the town beach, adding: “We have preliminary information about seven people being injured, but this is very tentative and may change. I have no information about any fatalities.” Police posted a photograph on X showing an apprehended man lying face down in a wooded area.

Prosecutor Elżbieta Łukasiewicz told TVN24 the attack happened around 0900 GMT. A hospital A&E representative told TVN24 the injured were being treated at the Mazovian Specialist Hospital in Ostrołęka and would not be transferred elsewhere.

RMF FM reported that two of the wounded were seriously injured and that most of the victims were students, although one teacher was also wounded. Polish media put the injured figure at eight; fire service spokesman Adrian Stupski said the eight comprised five children and three adults, all conscious.

The attacker fled the scene and was detained about 25 minutes later near the city beach on the Narew River, on suspicion of “attacking people with a sharp tool near and on the premises of a school”, according to The Sun.

Mayor Paweł Niewiadomski confirmed an attack had taken place and several people had been injured, adding: “The most important information is that the situation has been brought under control.” He also issued instructions to prevent unauthorised persons from entering other city-operated schools.