Suspect killed after 13 kindergarteners taken hostage, beaten in Brazil

Man spreads flammable liquid in a room with 13 children while holding a lighter as police try to negotiate.

Brazil police rescue 13 children taken hostage at kindergarten

Brazilian police have rescued 13 children who had been taken hostage at a kindergarten in the southern city of Curitiba after killing the suspect, who threatened to set fire to the building, according to officials.

At least one of the children was wounded in Friday’s incident, the commander of the military police special forces unit in Parana state, Alexandre Lopes Dias, told reporters without elaborating on who or what injured the child.

Parana police spokesperson Leticia Martins told journalists outside the kindergarten that the suspect jumped the gate on Friday, broke into a classroom and held 13 children hostage.

He then spread a flammable substance in the room and held a lighter in his hand. He was carrying a knife and also what was initially believed to be a firearm, but later was found to be fake.

“Our negotiating teams were in place but saw no alternative but to neutralise him,” said Martins, who did not specify whether the suspect had expressed a specific reason for his actions.

The incident took place in the neighbourhood of Sao Braz in Curitiba, a city of 1.8 million residents located 400km (250 miles) south of Sao Paulo.

Lopes Dias told reporters the suspect was identified as a man who suffered from schizophrenia, but he did not reveal the man’s identity or how he was killed.

“During the entire negotiation, he stayed with all the children around him and one on his lap,” the police official said.

Talks lasted up to three hours. The children became agitated, and the attacker started hitting them, Lopes Dias told reporters.

“Once we realised that the kids were becoming increasingly upset and that the attacker started assaulting them physically, we opted for a tactical intervention to avoid a greater problem,” he explained.

Local media showed footage of tearful parents outside the school waiting for information as the negotiations between the suspect and police were ongoing. Minutes after what local media described as flash bangs, officers emerged carrying some of the children outside.

“We entered the classroom using a very tactical approach with little risk for the children,” Lopes Dias added.

Curitiba Mayor Eduardo Pimentel wrote on Instagram: “The 13 children are alive and safe! After anguishing and tense moments, this is the news we were all waiting for.”

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

Curitiba City Hall said in a statement that the children and school staffers would receive psychological support.

一名男子在有 13 名儿童的房间里泼洒易燃液体，同时手持打火机，警方试图与其谈判。

巴西警方解救13名在幼儿园被劫持的儿童

据官方消息，巴西警方在南部城市库里蒂巴的一家幼儿园击毙了威胁要放火烧毁建筑物的嫌疑人，并解救了13名被劫持为人质的儿童。

巴拉那州宪兵特种部队指挥官亚历山大·洛佩斯·迪亚斯告诉记者，周五发生的事件中至少有一名儿童受伤，但他没有详细说明是谁或什么原因导致儿童受伤。

巴拉那州警方发言人莱蒂西亚·马丁斯在幼儿园外告诉记者，嫌疑人于周五翻越大门，闯入一间教室，并将 13 名儿童劫为人质。

随后，他在房间里洒了易燃物，手里拿着打火机。他身上带着一把刀，还有一件起初被认为是枪支的物品，但后来发现是假枪。

“我们的谈判团队已经到位，但除了制服他之外别无选择，”马丁斯说，但他没有具体说明嫌疑人是否表达了其行为的具体原因。

事件发生在库里蒂巴的圣布拉斯社区，库里蒂巴是一座拥有 180 万居民的城市，位于圣保罗以南 400 公里（250 英里）处。

洛佩斯·迪亚斯告诉记者，嫌疑人被确认为一名患有精神分裂症的男子，但他没有透露该男子的身份或死因。

“在整个谈判过程中，他始终和孩子们待在一起，其中一个孩子还坐在他的腿上，”这位警官说。

谈判持续了长达三个小时。洛佩斯·迪亚斯告诉记者，孩子们情绪激动，袭击者开始殴打他们。

“当我们意识到孩子们越来越沮丧，而且袭击者开始对他们进行人身攻击时，我们选择采取战术干预，以避免更大的问题发生，”他解释说。

当地媒体播放的画面显示，在嫌疑人和警方谈判期间，一些泪流满面的家长在学校外焦急地等待消息。几分钟后，据当地媒体报道，现场燃放了闪光弹，随后警察抱着一些孩子走出了学校。

洛佩斯·迪亚斯补充说：“我们采取了非常有策略的方式进入教室，对孩子们来说风险很小。”

库里蒂巴市长爱德华多·皮门特尔在Instagram上写道：“13个孩子都还活着，而且很安全！经过令人焦虑和紧张的时刻，这是我们所有人都在等待的消息。”

近年来，巴西发生多起针对学校的袭击事件。2023年4月，一名男子在巴西南部城市布卢梅瑙的一家日托中心用斧头杀害了四名儿童。

库里蒂巴市政府在一份声明中表示，孩子们和学校工作人员将获得心理支持。