Schools closed in Poland's Wiskitki gmina amid "Bloody Friday" rumours

Investigation into the motives of the minor aggressor

Polish investigative bodies are examining in detail the circumstances of the incident that took place on 8 October in Leszno Dolne Nowe near Wiskitki. A 15-year-old student then attacked a school employee with a knife. The main task for law enforcement is to establish the reasons that prompted the teenager to commit violence, specifically whether the act was a reaction to some online challenge.

“Investigative actions are underway to establish the motives of the minor. A search of his phone and other items will also be conducted. This will allow us to establish whether it was a challenge, whether he had a vision, and under what influence he committed this act,” explained Junior Trainee Ilona Puszczan.

Rumours of coordinated attacks online

Against the backdrop of this incident, alarming messages began to spread actively in parents' chats and student groups. Internet users claim that recent cases of violence in Polish schools may be interconnected, with their culmination to be Friday, which is referred to as “Bloody Friday” on social media. According to rumours, the preparation of new attacks may have been coordinated in closed online communities.

The police state that they are aware of these discussions and are verifying the relevant information. However, law enforcement emphasised that none of the information verified during the day following parents' appeals has been confirmed. Residents are urged not to spread unverified data and to refrain from panic.

Administrative decision on a break in classes

Despite the absence of confirmed threats, Masovian Voivode Mariusz Frankowski decided to close all public and private primary schools in Wiskitki gmina on Friday. Police clarified that this step was taken before the mass spread of rumours about “Bloody Friday”.

Meanwhile, many parents are writing on social media that they are not sending their children to educational institutions on 9 October, citing danger. Previously, law enforcement also established the details of a shooting in one of the schools in Zakarpattia, where a teenager, according to preliminary data, was following the instructions of third parties he had met in an online game and communicated with via a messenger.