Zurian: Knife Attacker Had Previously Threatened Classmates

Bratislava, January 21 (TASR) - The accused student who carried out the knife-attack at the secondary grammar school in the town of Spisska Stara Ves last week had threatened his classmates via text message a few days before the attack, head of the Interior Ministry's Inspection Service Office (UIS) Branislav Zurian said on Tuesday following the meeting of the House defence and security committee, adding that the police assessed the student's actions as bullying, not a criminal offence. According to Zurian, the police offered to be present at the school on the day of the student's scheduled examination, the day of the attack. The management didn't agree to this. "They said it would be counterproductive, but asked for the police to be around when the exam takes place," noted Zurian, adding that the fact that the police weren't around is the subject of the UIS investigation. The victims of last week's attack at the secondary grammar school in Spisska Stara Ves were two women, aged 18 and 51, a student and the school deputy director. Another student was injured. Police charged the suspect, an 18-year-old student, with premeditated murder. The student has been taken into custody. am/mcs