On Thursday, October 8, at about 9 a.m., a 15-year-old former pupil attacked three people with a sharp implement at a primary school in Leszczydół-Nowiny near Wyszków; the 37-year-old school caretaker died (TVP Info, Bezprawnik, TVN24, AP/ABC, CTV, Korea Times). The principal and a teacher tried to stop the attacker and were wounded, but they overpowered him. According to a spokesman for the Interior Ministry (MSWiA), their lives are not in danger. The boy had three knives and, as the prime minister said, a helmet with a camera to record the attack. The motive is not known. The day before, in Ostrołęka, a 19-year-old wounded nine people, and in Sierpc a 17-year-old with two knives was detained.
Two attacks in two days and the detention of a third suspect suggest the risk of copycat attacks that the prime minister spoke of. It forces the authorities to act in hundreds of thousands of schools at once.
If you have a child in school, follow notices from the school and the police. Talking to your child about reporting any threat to adults may prevent a tragedy.
Government: quick police action in schools and blocking of incitement to violence online are needed.
Opposition and the president: the government is responsible for security, and the earlier vetoes concerned rules that had other flaws.
On current knowledge the motive is unknown, so we do not settle on causes. It is worth checking what real changes the new patrols bring to schools, and whether the debate about the internet will overshadow protection and psychological care.
TVP Info, Bezprawnik, TVN24, AP (ABC News, CTV), Korea Times, Notes from Poland (Oct. 8, 2026)
Second school attack in two days: 15-year-old kills a school caretaker and wounds two people in Leszczydół-Nowiny near Wyszków
The principal and a teacher overpowered the attacker even though they were wounded themselves. The prime minister says the boy had a helmet with a camera to film the attack, and the motive is still unknown to investigators.
On Thursday, October 8, at about 9 a.m., a 15-year-old former pupil attacked three staff members of a primary school in Leszczydół-Nowiny in Wyszków County in Mazovia with a sharp implement, report TVP Info, Bezprawnik, AP and Notes from Poland. The first person attacked was a 37-year-old school caretaker, who died. The principal heard screams and tried to stop the attacker, and a teacher helped him; both were wounded but, according to police spokeswoman Katarzyna Kucharska, managed to overpower the perpetrator. According to a spokesman for the Interior Ministry (MSWiA), the lives of the two wounded are not in danger.
The perpetrator currently attends a vocational school and had three knives on him. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said he also had a helmet with a camera, which he took in order to film the attack. The motives are so far unknown, and reports of an online “challenge” come from early, unverified information. It is the second attack on a school within two days, after Wednesday’s attack in Ostrołęka, where a 19-year-old wounded nine people. On Wednesday police also detained a 17-year-old in Sierpc who was planning an attack.