A knife attack at Prečko Elementary School in Zagreb left a 7-year-old girl dead and injured six others. The attacker, said to be a 19-year-old male, has been detained.
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A 7-year-old girl was killed and a teacher and five other students were injured in a knife attack at a school in the Croatian capital Zagreb on Friday, authorities said.
The attack happened at 9:50 am at the Prečko Elementary School in the neighbourhood of the same name.
Health Minister Irena Hristić said the attacker, who has since been apprehended, was a young male over 18, while media reported he was 19.
The assailant already had a record due to mental health issues, Interior Minister Davor Božinović said. He was scheduled to receive treatment at the Sveti Ivan psychiatric clinic in Zagreb on Friday morning, but he was a no-show, authorities claim.
The attacker, who wore an all-black outfit, first physically assaulted a boy in the school corridor and then entered a random classroom where he committed the knife attack, according to media reports.
The injured children have been evacuated to multiple hospitals in Zagreb. The teacher and one of the injured students remain in intensive care. The attacker attempted to commit suicide at a nearby emergency room, where he fled following the attack. He was prevented by the police, who apprehended him, reports claim.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said at the start of the government session that he is "appalled" by the attack and that authorities are still working to determine exactly what happened. An investigation into the clinic where the assailant was treated was launched by Friday afternoon.
School attacks are rare in Croatia. Last May, a teenager in neighbouring Serbia opened fire at a school in the capital Belgrade, killing nine fellow students and a school guard.