BUCHAREST, Oct 19 (Reuters) – Romanian police said a 13-year-old schoolboy stabbed and wounded a teacher and another pupil on Monday, amid local media reports that he had posted about his plans on social media shortly before the attack.
Schools in Europe have faced a string of attacks this year in countries including Poland, France and Sweden, with authorities in some cases pointing to the role of social media and online subcultures that glorify murder in fomenting the violence.
“At around 08:40 (0540 GMT), police were alerted … that a seventh-grade student at a school in Bistrița had allegedly attacked a female teacher and another student with a knife,” police said in a statement.
A judicial source told Reuters that the 13-year-old was being investigated on suspicion of attempted aggravated murder, but because he is a minor he will not be tried. Reuters was unable to contact the boy’s lawyer.
The source said the boy had posted messages on TikTok in which he urged violence, but said prosecutors needed to search his digital devices before reaching conclusions.
There was no immediate comment on the case from TikTok.
Several local media reported that the boy had posted online about his intentions shortly before the attack.
One social media image published in local media showed a boy photographing himself in a bathroom mirror with a knife and a helmet with a camera. Another showed his hand making an OK sign. Underneath, a message in English says “this is it lads. I’ve been preparing this for 8 months, see you in Valhalla.”
Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the posts.
Their content was similar to that posted by an attacker who killed a school caretaker in eastern Poland earlier this month.
“The press reports that the student announced his attack on TikTok must be clarified by investigators,” Education Minister Mihai Dimian wrote on Facebook.
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie, additional reporting by Anna Koper and Anna Lubowicka, writing by Alan Charlish, Editing by Xevi Fontdegloria)
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