Knife attack at Welfen-Gymnasium Schongau: two 13-year-olds seriously injured
A 16-year-old has injured several people at Welfen-Gymnasium in Schongau. Two pupils were seriously injured and taken to hospital.
Major operation at Welfen-Gymnasium: 16-year-old arrested after violent attack
Several people were injured in an alleged violent attack at Welfen-Gymnasium in Upper Bavaria's Schongau on Wednesday afternoon. As DER SPIEGEL (Justice & Crime) reported, a 16-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene. The major operation began around 13:15, according to media reports.
Two 13-year-old girls, identified as pupils at the affected school, were particularly severely injured. Both were transported to hospital by helicopter and emergency vehicles. There was no indication of life-threatening injuries as of the latest update.
Knife and firearm seized
According to police, the arrested individual is male, 16 years old, and a Croatian national. Police confirmed that a knife was allegedly used as the murder weapon. Additionally, the perpetrator carried a firearm — whether it was merely a blank-firing gun initially remained unclear. Some media outlets reported stab wounds among those affected; police did not expressly confirm this.
There were no indications of other perpetrators involved. Police assumed a lone-actor perpetrator. Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) explicitly contradicted rumours of two perpetrators to Bavarian Broadcasting: "We are proceeding on the basis of one perpetrator who was carrying a knife and also a firearm."
Investigations in all directions
Initially, police had classified the incident as a possible amok attack and, according to a police spokesperson, treated it "under the conditions of an amok operation". According to SPIEGEL information, authorities are now investigating in all directions and are not ruling out a relationship-based crime as a motive. Reliable information regarding the exact background and sequence of events was not yet available.
Heavily armed police officers with service dogs continued to search all rooms of the gymnasium late into the afternoon. In addition to police units and local rescue services, six helicopters were involved in the operation, including at least one for treating the injured, as confirmed by ADAC Air Rescue.
School and surroundings widely cordoned off
The Schongau school centre, which houses Welfen-Gymnasium, was widely cordoned off. The population was asked to avoid the area around the school. A point of contact for parents and relatives of pupils was set up at the fire station in Schongau.
According to the Bavarian Education Ministry, Welfen-Gymnasium had 822 pupils in the previous school year, taught by approximately 80 teaching staff. Schongau is a small town with more than 12,000 residents on the banks of the Lech in western Upper Bavaria.
Reactions from the State Chancellery
Interior Minister Herrmann initially described the incident as an amok attack: "I am appalled by this terrible amok attack." Bavaria's Minister President Markus Söder (CSU) endorsed this classification in an initial statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those injured in the amok attack in Schongau," said Söder. He thanked police and rescue organisations for their swift intervention and announced support for the school community and relatives.