Polish police have detained 76 people and carried out checks in nearly 50,000 schools after a series of stabbings and online threats of more attacks. The measures were taken after two serious incidents in two days that left one person dead and several injured, CNN reports.
The first attack took place on October 7 at a vocational school in Ostrołęka, where a 19-year-old student injured several people. A day later, a 15-year-old attacked school staff with a knife at a school in Leszczyduł News, northeast of Warsaw. One person died and two others were injured.
After the attacks, warnings of alleged new attacks under the name “Bloody Friday“ began to spread on social networks. Polish authorities stressed that they had found no evidence of an organized campaign and no connection had been established between the first two attacks.
Due to security concerns, dozens of schools temporarily suspended classes and a police presence was increased around educational institutions. Among those detained were minors suspected of making threats or possessing knives.
On Saturday, a new incident was also reported at a higher education institution in Warsaw, in which a 21-year-old woman injured three people. Authorities have not yet confirmed that the three attacks are linked.
The series of incidents has sparked a debate about security in Polish schools and the impact of online threats. The government has said it is considering additional measures to combat dangerous online content and respond more quickly to threats against educational institutions.