Khaberni - Russian authorities announced on Tuesday the arrest of a 15-year-old student suspected of carrying out a knife attack inside a school in the suburbs of Moscow, resulting in the death of a tenth-grade student and a security guard, and injuring several other students, in an incident that caused widespread shock in the country.
The police said that the suspect, named Timothy K., stormed the Ouspenskaya Secondary Comprehensive School wearing a mask and helmet with extremist slogans, armed with two knives and pepper spray, before beginning his attack inside the building. This prompted armed security forces to storm the classrooms to stop him, according to the British newspaper "The Sun".
According to the official account, the security guard, Dmitry Pavlov (32 years old), tried to disarm the student as he threatened a group of pupils, but the suspect sprayed pepper spray in his face then stabbed him from behind, leading to his subsequent death from the injuries.
The reports added that the suspect chased a 10-year-old child inside the corridors and stairs of the school before assaulting him with a knife, leading to his death. Local media reported that the suspect had recorded the attack using his mobile phone.
During the attack, a number of students fled the school despite the low temperatures, while others barricaded themselves inside classrooms to prevent the attacker from reaching them. At least two other students were injured, and the wounded were taken to the hospital for treatment.
Extremist backgrounds and ongoing investigations
The police noted that the suspect had written an 11-page statement before carrying out the attack, which he distributed among his peers, expressing his hatred for society, and categorizing people according to ethnic and religious affiliations. Materials suspected to be explosives were also found in his possession inside the school.
The suspect's father said he learned about the incident through the media, expressing his inability to explain what his son had done.
Repeat incidents
This attack comes just one day after a similar incident in Saint Petersburg, where a math teacher was seriously stabbed by a 15-year-old student and is still receiving treatment in intensive care, reigniting the debate in Russia about the rise of violence within educational institutions.
