A horrifying knife attack in a Zagreb elementary school Friday morning left a 7-year-old girl dead and five students and a teacher injured, sending shockwaves throughout Croatia and prompting urgent questions about school security.
According to police, the assault occurred at 9:50 a.m., when an armed young man stormed into the school, entered the first classroom he found, and began stabbing children. Authorities confirmed the attacker is over 18 years old—local media report he is 19. He was quickly arrested.
Footage broadcast by Croatian media showed terrified children fleeing the school building as a medical helicopter landed in the courtyard to transport the wounded. Several injured students were rushed to hospitals across Zagreb, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said, expressing that he was “horrified” by the attack.
Health Minister Irena Hrstičová confirmed the age of the attacker and said emergency services responded immediately. Police are now working to determine the motive behind the brutal assault.
The shocking violence marks one of the most devastating school attacks in Croatia’s recent history, triggering a national conversation about mental health, early-warning systems, and protection measures for students.