After the deadly attack on four children in a crèche in southern Brazil, there is dismay and sadness, the authorities are looking for information about the background. “The act is not related to any other criminal practice,” Santa Catarina State Civil Police Commissioner Ulisses Gabriel said at a press conference on Wednesday (local time).
“Nor is it coordinated, for example through social networks or conversations between criminals.” Gabriel emphasized that it was an isolated case – the news of an alleged further attack had made the rounds.
Victims between four and seven years old
Four children between the ages of four and seven were killed in the armed attack on a daycare center in the town of Blumenau, which was founded and shaped by German immigrants, on Wednesday morning. A spokeswoman for the Santa Catarina military police had previously confirmed to the German Press Agency that the four victims were children under the age of twelve. According to police commissioner Gabriel, other injured children had been taken to Blumenau hospitals for treatment and were in stable condition.
According to the military police and the city of Blumenau, a 25-year-old from the neighboring state of Paraná jumped over the wall and broke into a private crèche, where he attacked children with an axe. According to the police, the attacker turned himself in at the station. He was arrested and handed over to the civilian police. His motive was initially unknown. He had already attracted attention several times, including for stabbing his stepfather. Now, according to police commissioner Gabriel, he has to answer for four murders and three attempted murders.
Military police will patrol schools
Blumenau announced 30 days of mourning. “We deeply regret this tragedy, which marks a sad turning point in the history of our city. May God comfort the hearts of all families,” it said in a statement. Classes in the public education network on Wednesday and Thursday were canceled. City guards and military police are expected to patrol the area around the schools when it resumes on Monday.
“There is no greater pain than that of a family losing their children or grandchildren, especially in an act of violence against innocent and defenseless children,” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote on Twitter. “My condolences and prayers go out to the families of the victims and the community of Blumenau for the atrocity that happened at the Bom Pastor daycare center.”
The attack came less than ten days after a teacher died in a knife attack at a school in the Brazilian metropolis of São Paulo, and other victims were injured. A 13-year-old was arrested. After a rampage in the city of Suzano in March 2019 that killed ten people, police controls at schools in São Paulo were stepped up.
The act of a young knife attacker about two years ago, who broke into a preschool in southern Brazil and killed five people, also caused horror.
Compared to other countries, such attacks are rather rare in the largest country in Latin America. Brazil is one of the countries with the highest rates of violent crime, but organized crime, petty criminals and police violence account for the vast majority of it.