Polish police say one killed in axe attack at Warsaw University

By Reuters
May 08, 2025
Polish police secure an area at the Warsaw University campus after an attack with an axe, in Warsaw, Poland, May 7, 2025.—Reuters
Polish police secure an area at the Warsaw University campus after an attack with an axe, in Warsaw, Poland, May 7, 2025.—Reuters

WARSAW: Police said on Wednesday they had detained a 22-year-old Polish man after he killed one person with an axe at Warsaw University, in an attack the institution described as a “huge tragedy”.

“Police have detained a man who entered the University of Warsaw campus. One person died, another was taken to hospital with injuries,” Warsaw Police said in a statement on X. They said the incident occurred at around 6:40 pm (1640 GMT), when the man attacked people on the campus with an axe, adding that the detainee was a 22-year-old Polish citizen.

Gazeta Wyborcza daily reported that the attacker was a third-year law student. Private broadcaster Polsat News reported that a woman’s severed head and an axe had been found at the university. A spokesperson for the district prosecutor’s office declined to comment on whether a severed head had been found.