Two dead following violent incident at school in Gosen-Neu Zittau near Berlin
A woman and a man have been killed at a school near Berlin. A 19-year-old German has been taken into provisional custody.
Fatal violence on school campus in Oder-Spree district
A young woman and a man have been killed at a school in Gosen-Neu Zittau, a town of approximately 3,500 inhabitants in the Oder-Spree district east of Berlin, on Tuesday. According to n-tv, a 19-year-old German was taken into provisional custody as the suspected perpetrator. Police and rescue services deployed in large numbers to the scene.
According to initial findings by investigators, the incident appears to be a relationship-related crime. The Märkische Allgemeine reports that the female victim was an 18-year-old pupil at the school, whilst the suspected perpetrator was her ex-boyfriend. A 30-year-old man was killed as he attempted to stop the attacker. The police have made no official statement thus far regarding either the victims or the precise course of events.
The incident occurred on the campus of a private education provider at the edge of town, surrounded by forest and lakes. The grounds contain a gymnasium, a secondary school and a technical secondary school.
Brandenburg's Minister-President Dietmar Woidke responded with horror at the incident. "In a terrible attack, two people have lost their lives. This act shocks our entire state," said the SPD politician, expressing his deepest sympathy to the relatives, families and friends of the victims. "Our schools should be a sanctuary for our young people. Here, a school has become the scene of inconceivable violence," Woidke went on to say.
According to Woidke, investigators were working "with all available resources to establish the background to this act completely and as quickly as possible".
Source: n-tv