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Spišská Stará Ves school stabbing

Coordinates: 49°22′45″N 20°21′39″E / 49.3792°N 20.3608°E / 49.3792; 20.3608
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Spišska Stará Ves school stabbing
Map
LocationGymnázium, Spišská Stará Ves Slovakia
Coordinates49°22′45″N 20°21′39″E / 49.3792°N 20.3608°E / 49.3792; 20.3608
Date16 January 2025
c.13:00 (CET)
Attack type
Mass stabbing
WeaponKnife
Deaths2
Injured1
PerpetratorSamuel Straško[1]
MotiveUnder investigation

On 16 January 2025, a stabbing took place at a high school in Spišská Stará Ves, a small town in Slovakia near the border with Poland. A 18-year-old student stabbed with a knife and killed a teacher and a fellow student, with one other person injured. The culprit was arrested after the stabbing.[2]

Stabbing

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The stabbing took place at a gymnasium on Štúrová street in Spišská Stará Ves, Slovakia at about 1 p.m. on 16 January 2025. A 51-year old female assistant school principal Mária Semančíková[3] and an 18-year old female student were killed. Another 18-year old female student was taken into hospital with stabbing injuries.[4]

After the stabbing, the perpetrator, a student, fled the scene. The police warned the locals about an armed man being on the loose in town and cautioned residents not to approach him. He was arrested about an hour after the stabbing in a forest near the nearby village of Matiašovce.[5][6]

Context

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School attacks are rare in Slovakia. Nonetheless, in 2020 a 22-year old student killed the deputy principal of the high school he had previously attended and injured five other people and in 2022 a student injured a classmate by attacking her with a knife at a high school in Nováky.[7] International media also noted that the attack came just several months after attempted assassination of the prime minister Robert Fico.[8]

Perpetrator

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Samuel Straško, a student who was 18 at the time of the attack, was identified as the perpetrator and arrested. The perpetrator transferred to the school from Gymnasium in Kežmarok and was known as an excellent student, who represented his previous school in competitions in mathematics and German language as well as various sports competitions.[9]

Nonetheless, he had a history of violence and threats against female classmates at his previous school in Kežmarok and another high school in Lučenec, where he had studied briefly before transfering to Kežmarok.[10][11] In February 2022 he was given a suspended sentence of 4 months in prison for beating a female classmate on a street in Kežmarok with his fists, causing her injuries that required medical attention. He was also sentenced for threatening another female classmate with death, but not given any additional sentence because the judge considered the suspended sentence issued in the other case sufficient.

In Spišská Stará Ves, the pattern of violent behavior continued. Straško was removed from an online class during the COVID-19 pandemic for sending death threats to a female classmate. He later attacked the classmate by crashing his bike into her on purpose.[12] Due to his violent behavior, the school assigned Straško to an individual study plan, where he studied at home and attended regular exams at the school. On the day of the stabbing, Straško was due for such an exam.[13]

Investigation

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The prosecutor general Maroš Žilinka stated immediately after the stabbing that the perpetrator was "not a tabula rasa", likely referring to his previous violent incidents.[14]

The following day after the stabbing, the school remained close. The police escorted the perpetrator to the school for reconstruction of the crime scene.[15]

Samuel Straško was accused of first-degree murder as the police deemed his knife attacks premediated and intentional. The judge refused Straško's lawyer please for a parole and ruled the perpetrator will remain in jail for the duration of the trial.[16]

Aftermath

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The interior minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok and education minister Tomáš Drucker immediately traveled to Spišská Stará Ves by a helicopter offer condolences and support to the local authorities.[17]

In direct response to the stabbing, the national chief of police as well as the chief of police in Spišská Stará Ves were fired by the interior minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok. According to Šutaj Eštok, the local police failed to take necessary steps to prevent the stabbing from happening.[18] According to the chief of police inspectorate, the school asked the police to investigate the behavior of Straško on 9 January 2025. Nonetheless, the police did not find any crime to be investigated and considered the case "ordinary bullying".[19]

Anna Kromková, the principal of the high school, where the stabbing took place, blamed the parents of the perpetrator for withholding information about his prior violent conduct. According to the principal, the school would never accept the student transfer had it knew about Straško's past.[20]

Hundreds of people attended the funeral mass for the stabbed assistant school principal celebrated by the local bishop František Trstenský.[3]

Statements

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The president of Slovakia Peter Pellegrini, prime minister Robert Fico, the opposition leader Michal Šimečka, numerous government ministers and MPs from all parties as well as the governor of the Prešov Region Milan Majerský immidiately condemned the stabbing and offered their condolences to the families of the victimes.[21][22]

Pope Francis also offered his condolences via the papal nuncio Nicola Girasoli.[23] The head of Conference of Slovak Bishops Bernard Bober, also expressed his "spiritual closeness" after the attack.[24]

In a statement, the Slovak student union said "Schools should be a place where young people grow, learn and dream of a better future. Instead, we are witnessing violence and hatred finding their way into our classrooms".[2]

References

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  1. ^ Podhorna, Natalia (January 16, 2025). "Dvojnásobný vrah z gymnázia v Spišskej Starej Vsi: Nevídane nadaný, v deň útoku ho čakali..." [Double murderer from a grammar school in Spišská Stará Ves: Unprecedentedly talented, on the day of the attack they were waiting for him...] (in Slovak). Plus 7 Dní. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Two killed in knife attack at school in Slovakia". BBC. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Stovky ľudí sa prišli rozlúčiť s druhou obeťou - Máriou Semančíkovou (51)". www.zenyvmeste.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  4. ^ "Masaker na Spiši. Po vyčíňaní študenta na gymnáziu sú dvaja mŕtvi a viacero zranených, jeden v kritickom stave". tvnoviny.sk (in Slovak). 16 January 2025.
  5. ^ "SME Minúta: Na gymnáziu v Spišskej Starej Vsi útočil študent, hlásia dvoch mŕtvych". korzar.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  6. ^ "V škole na východe Slovenska útočil žiak nožom: potvrdili dvoch mŕtvych, zadržali 18-ročného podozrivého". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). 16 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  7. ^ Sullivan, Rory (16 January 2025). "Student detained after two people killed in Slovakia school stabbing". euronews. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  8. ^ Carroll, Michael D.; McDonagh, Shannon (16 January 2025). "Student detained after fatal stabbings at high school". Newsweek. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  9. ^ Frank, Michal. "Bol premiantom v matematike i nemčine, darilo sa mu v športe. Kto je útočník z gymnázia?". spis.korzar.sme.sk (in Slovak).
  10. ^ "Útočník zo Spišskej Starej Vsi študoval aj v Lučenci". SOBOTNIK.SK (in Slovak). 18 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  11. ^ Folentová, Veronika; Osvaldová, Lucia; Zacher, Filip (16 January 2025). "Po útoku na gymnáziu v Spišskej Starej Vsi sú dvaja mŕtvi – žiačka a zástupkyňa riaditeľa. Útočníka chytili". Denník N (in Slovak). Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  12. ^ Murajdová, Alex (17 January 2025). "Útočník Samuel z gymnázia v Spišskej Starej Vsi bol dvakrát odsúdený | TVNOVINY.sk". tvnoviny.sk (in Slovak).
  13. ^ Hajčáková, Daniela. "O jeho minulosti nevedeli, učil sa mimo kolektívu. Čo ukázalo prvých 24 hodín po útoku". domov.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  14. ^ "Nejde o nepopísaný list papiera, opísal generálny prokurátor Žilinka 18-ročného podozrivého z vražedného útoku na škole". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). 16 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  15. ^ Linhart, Martin (17 January 2025). "Návrat na miesto činu: Polícia priviedla Samuela späť na gymnázium v Spišskej Starej Vsi". ta3 (in Slovak). Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  16. ^ Bejda, Róbert. "Útočníka z tragédie v Spišskej Starej Vsi vzal súd do útekovej a preventívnej väzby". spis.korzar.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  17. ^ "HNonline.sk - Tragédia na gymnáziu v Spišskej Starej Vsi. Po útoku nožom hlásia dvoch mŕtvych, polícia žiaka zadržala". hnonline.sk (in Slovak). 16 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  18. ^ Jurkovičová, Klaudia. "Šutaj Eštok: Policajný prezident Solák po útoku na škole končí, odvolaný bude aj šéf obvodnej polície". spis.korzar.sme.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  19. ^ "Gymnázium v Spišskej Starej Vsi týždeň pred tým, ako študent útočil na škole, riešilo jeho prípad s políciou". Denník N (in Slovak). 21 January 2025.
  20. ^ Nemec, Marek (17 January 2025). "Minulosť útočníka z gymnázia: dvakrát odsúdený za fyzické a verbálne útoky voči spolužiačkam". Aktuality.sk (in Slovak). Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  21. ^ "Takéto hrozné násilie nemá v našej spoločnosti čo hľadať, povedal Michal Šimečka k útoku na gymnáziu v Spišskej Starej Vsi". Denník N (in Slovak). 16 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  22. ^ "Žiaden problém na svete sa nevyrieši nožom ani inou zbraňou, reagoval prezident Peter Pellegrini na útok". Denník N (in Slovak). 16 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  23. ^ "Pápež František vyjadril sústrasť rodinám obetí tragédie v Spišskej Starej Vsi". Pravda.sk (in Slovak). 20 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  24. ^ "SUMMARY - Thursday, January 16, 2025 - 9 p.m." www.tasr.sk.
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