At least five students were said to be injured after a knife attack at a school in the German city of Wuppertal, on Thursday (Feb 22), according to media reports citing the police. The suspect, a 17-year-old knife-wielding fellow student, has been arrested, said the local officials.
What we know so far
The incident took place at the Wilhelm Dörpfeld school in Wuppertal’s Elberfeld district. German media reports citing a female teacher said that the students were attacked with a knife and a pair of scissors.
“We are on site with a large number of officers. There are injured school children,” Wuppertal police said in a post on X. Five students were injured, according to the police, including the alleged attacker who was arrested at the scene.
As per media reports the local police launched a major operation around 10:00 am (local time) on Thursday. The incident prompted law enforcement officials to rush to the scene.
A police helicopter was seen circling over the school, as per German state-owned international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), while officers carrying submachine guns were among the large group of emergency responders at the site.
The school was evacuated and the nearby areas were cordoned off. Police spokesman Stefan Weiand told German newspaper Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ) that the students were “understandably shaken”.
The school, as per DW, specialises in ancient languages and has some 700 pupils.
About the victims
Aside from the age of the suspect, who was among the injured, the identities of the victims were not immediately known.
A report by WAZ citing Interior Minister Herbert Reul of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) said at least two students and the alleged perpetrator were seriously injured.
According to the media report, the 17-year-old suspect was in 11th grade and allegedly attacked his classmates during recess with a knife and also injured himself during and after the assault. The motive for the attack was not immediately known.
(With inputs from agencies)
