Knife attack at school in Gosen-Neu Zittau: Two dead, 19-year-old arrested
An 18-year-old and a 30-year-old educator were killed at a school in Gosen-Neu Zittau, Brandenburg. A 19-year-old suspected perpetrator is in police custody.
School in mourning: Two people dead following attack in Gosen-Neu Zittau
Two people were killed at a school in Gosen-Neu Zittau in Brandenburg on Thursday. According to reports by WELT, initial police findings suggest the incident was relationship-related: a 19-year-old is said to have attacked his 18-year-old ex-girlfriend. A 30-year-old nursery educator also died in the attack. The suspect has been held in police custody since then.
Police initially provided no details regarding motive or weapon. According to media reports, a knife is believed to have been used.
Over one hundred people came to the school
On the evening of the attack, well over one hundred people gathered outside the school in Oder-Spree district to lay flowers and light candles. Many wept and held each other. On Friday, the school was open as a "meeting space". According to Michael Kunz, spokesperson for Academedia Education GmbH, at least half of the students came to mourn on Friday morning – some with family members.
"This is not something that is normal at a school," said Kunz. "The student was well known to everyone." It would be very difficult to return to any form of normalcy. The school now intends to consider how lessons will proceed.
School psychologists and emergency team on site
The Oder-Spree district administration stated that school psychologists and an emergency team from the education authority were deployed in the municipality, which has around 3,500 residents. "No one should be left alone with what they have experienced," the statement said. The administration asked to "give those affected and their families the space they now need".
"Our sympathies in these hours go out to the families, friends and acquaintances of the victims – and to all students and teachers who witnessed the unimaginable on Thursday," the district administration wrote.
Minister President Woidke expresses dismay
Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) had already responded on Thursday. "This act shakes our entire state. My thoughts and deepest sympathy are with the families and friends of the victims during these difficult hours," said Woidke.
The head of government emphasised that schools should be a safe place for young people. "A school has become the scene of an incomprehensible act of violence. We stand with the entire school community – the students, the teachers and the parents." Woidke called for solidarity and urged people to provide the necessary support to those bereaved.
Source: WELT