Brazil kindergarten hostage: 13 children rescued

Brazilian police rescued 13 children who had been taken hostage in their kindergarten in Curitiba on Friday and killed the assailant, officials said. At least one child was wounded.

Alexandre Lopes Dias, commander of the military police special forces unit in Parana state, said the children were taken to be checked and cared for by first responders after the operation.

Lopes Dias said the attacker arrived on a bicycle, jumped the gate at the municipal education center for young children and barricaded himself in a room with the 13 kindergarteners. He said the man spread a flammable substance in the room and held a lighter, and was carrying a knife and an object initially believed to be a firearm but later found to be fake.

Negotiations lasted from 2.5 to three hours. Lopes Dias said police chose a tactical intervention after the children became increasingly upset and the attacker began physically assaulting them.

Police said the assailant had been identified and had schizophrenia. His motive was not immediately clear, and it was not clear whether he had ties to anyone at the kindergarten.

Curitiba Mayor Eduardo Pimentel wrote on Instagram: “The 13 children are alive and safe!”

Brazil has experienced multiple attacks on schools in recent years. In April 2023, a man killed four children with an ax at a day care in Blumenau, also in southern Brazil.