7-year-old dies in stabbing attack at Croatia school

A seven-year-old pupil was killed, and several others injured, in a stabbing attack at a school in the Croatian capital Zagreb on Dec 20, with a 19-year-old male suspect arrested, the authorities said.

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The police sealed off Precko primary school after the attack, thought to be the first of its kind in Croatia. Parents and pupils expressed their shock and anger.

"A total of six people were injured, of whom unfortunately one child died on the spot after intensive efforts to revive them," Health Minister Irena Hrstic told reporters, revising downwards an earlier larger toll cited by officials.

"The deceased child is seven years old," she added.

Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said the suspect was a former pupil of the school.

Following the attack, the suspect fled and hid at a nearby healthcare centre, where he tried to kill himself with a knife and was apprehended by the police, the minister added.

The suspect had a record of mental disorders and a year ago had attempted suicide, Mr Bozinovic said.

The minister said preliminary investigations indicated that the attack happened in a school hallway and not a classroom.