A Croatian court has delivered a severe 50-year prison sentence to a 20-year-old man convicted of a fatal knife attack at an elementary school in Zagreb that resulted in the death of a 7-year-old student and injuries to three other children and a teacher.
The County Court in Zagreb handed down the verdict on Tuesday against the assailant, identified only by his initials L.M., for the December 20, 2024 assault at Precko Elementary School. The attacker, who was 19 at the time of the incident, entered his former educational institution armed with a knife and targeted multiple victims before attempting to take his own life.
According to investigative reports, the perpetrator had previously resided near the school premises. The institution serves children aged 7 to 15, typical of Croatia’s elementary education system.
The judicial panel’s ruling remains subject to appeal procedures. Legal representative Kresimir Skarica, acting for the deceased victim’s family, characterized the verdict as anticipated while acknowledging the profound tragedy of the case. “There are no winners or losers in this case,” Skarica stated in comments reported by the Index news portal.
This incident represents an exceptionally rare occurrence of school violence in Croatia, sending shockwaves throughout the European Union nation. The tragedy echoes similar regional trauma, notably the May 2023 school shooting in neighboring Serbia’s capital Belgrade where a teenage perpetrator killed nine students and a school security guard.