Three Injured in Warsaw Stabbing as Poland Faces Alarming Wave of School Attacks

Three people have been injured in a stabbing attack at a further education college in Warsaw, marking the third incident of violence at a Polish school in less than a week. The string of assaults has sparked widespread concern over potential copycat violence among young people, prompting authorities to inspect tens of thousands of schools and detain dozens of individuals nationwide.

In the latest incident, a 21-year-old woman used a dangerous object at approximately 12:30pm local time on Saturday to attack a 17-year-old woman, according to Jakub Filipiak, a spokesman for Warsaw police. The suspect also injured two other individuals, aged 17 and 24. One victim was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, while two bystanders sustained minor injuries that did not require hospitalization.

While police did not initially identify the educational institution, national Wyborcza newspaper identified it as TEB Edukacja, a post-secondary establishment that was open on Saturday. Authorities stated that the attacker did not know any of the victims, though national media reports indicated the suspect studied at the school.

The attack unfolded as police announced the detention of 76 people across Poland and security checks at nearly 50,000 schools following two earlier violent episodes during the week. On Wednesday, a 19-year-old student at a vocational school in the Mazovian province injured nine people in a sharp-object attack. The following day, a 15-year-old fatally stabbed a custodian and wounded two others at the John-Paul II primary school in Leszczydol-Nowiny.

The unprecedented wave of school violence has shocked the nation, leading to stepped-up security measures, police patrols, and the suspension of classes at dozens of schools. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski emphasized that youth safety is paramount, while the government stated it has found no evidence linking the attacks or confirming an ongoing internet challenge promoting school violence.