Knife attacks in schools shock Poland, several educational institutions closed

Schools and kindergartens in several areas of Poland are closing, and some are switching to distance learning, after a fatal knife attack and a series of violent incidents that have increased fears of further attacks.

Local authorities in Wyszkow, north of the capital Warsaw, announced that primary schools and kindergartens in this municipality will close on Friday, after a cleaning worker was stabbed to death at a nearby school.

Other schools in the region have also stepped up security measures, while some have advised parents to keep their children at home, because of growing concern.

The closures come after an attack on Thursday, when a 15-year-old stabbed a cleaning worker to death at a school near Wyszkow and wounded two other people. The suspect was detained by police and was found with a camera mounted on a helmet, which investigators suspect may have been used to livestream the attack.

A day earlier, a 19-year-old carried out an axe attack at a school in Ostroleka, about 120 kilometres northeast of Warsaw, wounding nine people, as well as himself. An improvised explosive device was also found on the attacker.

Police also prevented a suspected attack in the town of Sierpc on Wednesday, detaining a teenager who had reportedly stated that he planned to attack his school. All three incidents occurred in the Mazovia province, which surrounds Warsaw.

Officials have stressed that the decision to close the schools was not related to an online threat called “Bloody Friday”. That threat is linked to the detention of a 17-year-old suspected of creating an AI-generated video warning of a “bloody massacre on Friday”.

The video, which threatened mass knife attacks, has caused panic among parents and pupils.

Police announced on Friday morning that, in connection with these cases, they had made a total of 10 arrests across the country.

In a statement published on the social network X, it said: “Over 10,000 premises checked and 10 people detained nationwide. Police officers across the country are taking action to verify all reports of threats, warnings of violent acts and incidents that could endanger pupils and staff in educational institutions. Every signal, even the smallest, is being verified with full care.”

Police added that officers of the Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime are monitoring the internet around the clock.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk has also asked police forces to visit every school in Poland at least once a day, as part of routine patrols. He warned of the risk of similar attacks and of what he described as a “cult of violence” among some young people.