Polish police arrested a 21-year-old woman on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026, after she allegedly wounded three people with a "dangerous object" at a private post-secondary school in Warsaw. The incident occurred at the school's office in the Praga district while victims were submitting enrollment documents. Authorities reported that a 17-year-old girl and two other women, aged 17 and 24, sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect, identified as a student at the school, was taken into custody; police indicated initial findings suggested she did not appear to know the victims.
The Saturday attack followed two other incidents at educational institutions earlier in the week. On Wednesday, Oct. 7, a 19-year-old student allegedly wounded nine people with a sharp object at a vocational school in Mazovian province. The following day, Thursday, Oct. 8, a 15-year-old boy allegedly killed a 37-year-old female caretaker and wounded two others at a primary school in Leszczydół-Nowiny. Polish authorities noted that school violence of this nature is a new phenomenon in the country, and Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated there would be "no room for compromise" regarding student safety.
In response to the earlier violence and rumors of a coordinated "bloody Friday" event, Polish police conducted a nationwide security operation on Friday, Oct. 9. Officers checked nearly 50,000 schools and detained 76 people. Among those held were a 14-year-old found with a concealed blade and 11 firecrackers, and a 16-year-old carrying a butterfly knife. Additionally, 59 schools preemptively suspended classes on Friday, while others implemented backpack checks and increased staff presence at entrances.
The incidents have prompted the Polish government to accelerate legislative action that would affect how digital content is managed. Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that current laws did not allow the government to block harmful online content, such as potential crime streaming, which he identified as a necessary tool. Furthermore, authorities said extra security measures at schools will continue and crisis training for educators will be organized.
The suspects in the three attacks remain in custody as investigators look for potential links, including whether the events were influenced by an internet challenge, though the government said it had found no evidence of such a challenge so far. The Polish government has pledged to renew efforts to pass legislation aimed at blocking harmful online content. Schools that remained open have indicated that heightened security measures, including extra staff and voluntary backpack checks, will continue.