Slovak School Principal's Intervention Credited With Averting Wider Tragedy in Knife Attack

The principal of a primary school in Staškove, Slovakia, locked herself in her office with a 13-year-old knife attacker and calmed him down, an act credited with preventing an even greater tragedy, as a schoolgirl injured in Tuesday's attack remains in critical condition, according to Pravda and STVR.²¹

The attack

The attack took place at a primary school in Staškove, in the Čadca district, on Tuesday morning. According to STVR and UA.News, a 61-year-old teacher died and several people were injured, including a 44-year-old pedagogue who suffered a chest stab wound and was airlifted to hospital in Žilina, where her condition has since been stabilized. The injured schoolgirl was airlifted to hospital in Martin.¹⁵

Health Minister Kamil Šaško told a government meeting in Uhrovce that the girl's condition remains extremely serious. "With respect to this being a minor, I do not want to provide extensive information. Unfortunately, that condition remains extremely serious," he said. He added that the patient is still in intensive medical care, according to Hospodárske noviny.¹²

Suspect and investigation

The suspected attacker, a 13-year-old student, has been placed in a psychological detention facility, Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok said. The Office Against Organized Crime, under the Police Presidium, has taken over the case, which has been opened as a criminal investigation for aggravated premeditated murder.¹

Police carried out a several-hour detailed examination of the crime scene. "The examination focused on thorough documentation of the location and securing traces needed to clarify the course of events," police said. Investigators also interviewed multiple witnesses and searched the suspect's home, where items were seized. "Items were seized during the home search, which will be further examined and evaluated regarding their significance for the investigation," police said.¹

Scrutiny of police response

According to STVR, the school had filed a criminal report with police five days before the attack, relating to an incident that had occurred at the school the previous week. Šutaj Eštok said an inspection into police procedures is under way. "Investigation continues, as does police inspection proceedings regarding police procedures at Turzovka station," he said.¹

Topky.sk/TASR, citing the Police Inspection Office, reported that a local officer had received information about the attacker's problematic behaviour but did not assess it as serious enough to warrant intervention. Police Inspection Office spokesperson Andrea Dobiášová said the report was received on Thursday, September 24. "The inspection office opened its formal review the previous day, and it is looking into how officers handled matters once they received the school's criminal complaint on the 24th, 9. 2026 zo ZŠ v Staškove," she said. The officer is being investigated for the crime of neglecting duty as a public official, according to the outlet.⁴

Topky.sk/TASR also reported that the school had been addressing a problem in the days before the attack and that experts had visited the school the day before. Education Minister Tomáš Drucker said: "škola už pár dní pred činom riešila istý problém a na škole boli dokonca len deň predtým odboníci." Šutaj Eštok said the matter would also be discussed with the education and justice ministers, adding: "We discussed this with the education minister, of course, it is also for discussion with the justice minister."⁴¹

Principal's intervention

According to Pravda, the school principal locked herself in her office with the 13-year-old attacker and spoke to him to calm him down, an action credited with preventing the attack from becoming even more deadly. Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok said she "acted exactly according to security manuals, which prevented the damage and loss of life from being even greater."²

Security analyst Radovan Bránik said the principal "found a way to attract the distressed boy's attention and bring him to relative calm." Police arrived at the scene shortly afterward and detained the student without further incident.²

Legal status of the 13-year-old suspect

Because the suspect is 13 years old, he is below Slovakia's age of criminal responsibility and cannot be formally charged with a crime or sent to investigative detention, according to Aktuality.sk. He has instead been placed in a psychological detention facility, Šutaj Eštok said: "Aktuálne je podľa ministra vnútra Matúša Šutaja Eštoka umiestnený v psychologickom detenčnom ústave."³

A prosecutor may still file a motion with the court for urgent measures under civil non-contentious procedure to determine the minor's placement in an appropriate care or treatment facility, according to Aktuality.sk.³