In Brazil, police rescued 13 children from a seized day care center, the attacker was killed

Yesterday, Brazilian police freed 13 children who were being held hostage at a day care center and killed the attacker, who had threatened to set the building on fire, officials said.

The incident took place in the southern city of Curitiba. Alexandre Lopes Dias, commander of the special forces unit of the military police of Paraná state, told reporters that law enforcement officers had managed to successfully neutralize the perpetrator and rescue the 13 children, who were immediately handed over to medics and emergency services. He also added that at least one child was injured.

The assailant arrived at the building on a bicycle, climbed over the fence of the municipal preschool education center and barricaded himself in a room together with 13 children. He then poured a flammable substance around the room and picked up a lighter. He had a knife with him and an object imitating a firearm, which later turned out to be a replica. According to a police representative, throughout the negotiations the man kept the children around him, and held one child in his arms.

The negotiations lasted from two and a half to three hours. Over time, the children began to grow very agitated, and the attacker started using physical violence against them. Realizing that the situation was escalating and that there was an immediate threat to the children's lives, the special forces decided to launch a tactical assault. Local television channels aired footage of teachers and staff hurriedly evacuating the remaining children from the building. According to local media reports, gunshots and the sounds of stun grenades were heard during the operation.

The attacker's identity has been established — police stated that he suffered from schizophrenia. His motives, as well as any possible connections to any of the day care center's staff or children, have not yet been determined. Curitiba Mayor Eduardo Pimentel wrote on Instagram that after agonizing and tense minutes, all 13 children are alive and safe.

In recent years, Brazil has faced a series of attacks on educational institutions. In particular, in April 2023, a man armed with an axe killed four children at a day care center in the city of Blumenau, also located in the south of the country. — AFP