An ordinary Thursday morning turned tragic in the peaceful town of Spisska Stara Ves, Slovakia, when an 18-year-old student launched a violent knife attack at a local grammar school, claiming the lives of a fellow student and the school’s deputy headmistress while seriously wounding another classmate.
The assault unfolded during regular class hours when the halls were bustling with students and teachers. Police responded swiftly to emergency calls received at 11:49 GMT, arriving at the scene within three minutes. Despite their quick response, the attacker, identified only as “S.S.,” managed to flee the premises, prompting a massive manhunt that ended with his capture in a nearby forest at 12:56 GMT.
Emergency services spokesperson Danka Capakova confirmed that two victims, an 18-year-old student and a 51-year-old teacher, suffered fatal injuries in the attack. A third victim, another 18-year-old student, was rushed to the hospital and remains in serious but stable condition, according to Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok.
The incident has left the community grappling with questions about how a student described as having “excellent results” could commit such a violent act. However, troubling details have emerged from local media outlet Markiza TV, revealing that the perpetrator had previously been expelled from a school in nearby Kezmarok for making threats against fellow students.
The attack resonated deeply within Slovakia’s educational community, prompting immediate responses from national leaders. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini addressed the nation, emphasizing that “no problem in the world can be solved with a knife or another weapon.” The Student Council of Secondary Schools echoed these sentiments on social media, stating that “hatred and violence have no place in our society, let alone schools where young people should feel safe.
Beyond the immediate casualties, the incident’s psychological impact was evident as emergency services treated two additional individuals at the scene – a 51-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman – for acute stress reactions. Police Chief Lubomir Solak noted that several others sustained minor injuries during the chaos that ensued.
The attack in Spisska Stara Ves, a town situated approximately 280 kilometers northeast of Bratislava near the Polish border, marks another tragic chapter in a concerning trend of school violence across Europe. This incident follows Slovakia’s first-ever violent school attack in 2020, where a former student fatally stabbed a teacher and injured several others before being killed by police during his escape attempt.
Recent months have seen similar tragedies unfold across the region. In December 2024, Croatia experienced an unprecedented attack at a Zagreb school, resulting in the death of a seven-year-old pupil and injuries to several others. The previous year, Serbia faced consecutive mass shootings, including a devastating incident at a Belgrade school that claimed ten lives.
The frequency of these events has sparked renewed discussions about school safety measures and mental health support for students across Eastern Europe. Educational experts and policy makers are calling for enhanced security protocols and improved early warning systems to identify and assist troubled students before situations escalate to violence.
As the small town of Spisska Stara Ves begins its healing process, authorities continue their investigation into the attacker’s motives and circumstances that led to this tragic event. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities within educational institutions and the urgent need for comprehensive approaches to prevent school violence.
The grammar school, typically a place of learning and growth, now stands as a somber symbol of a community’s lost innocence, prompting serious reflection on how to better protect students and educators while maintaining schools as safe havens for education.
