A 12-year-old boy dressed in a bulletproof vest has stabbed six pupils in a school in Portugal, according to police.
The child attacked other pupils at the school in Azambuja, near Lisbon.
All were taken to hospital with injuries to their chest and head, emergency services said. One of the injured children, a girl, was said to be in a serious condition. She suffered a stab wound to her throat.
All the injured children were aged between 11 and 14, said Silvino Lucio, the mayor of Azambuja.
“The boy went home to eat [at lunch time] and returned with a knife and bullet-proof vest in his bag,” Mr Lucio told Portuguese media. “Nothing in his demeanour indicated he was going to do something like this.”
The boy, who has not been named, was in a “quiet” condition while he waited to be questioned by police, Mr Lucio said.
The Portuguese Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, condemned the attack and wished for the quick recovery of the injured children in a message posted on X.
“It was an isolated act and a strange occurrence in Portuguese society, but one that should make everyone who works in public space reflect with a sense of responsibility,” Mr Montenegro wrote.
The attack has stunned Portugal which has a low crime rate and offences involving children are extremely rare.
