Police Detain 19-Year-Old After Fatal Knife Attack at School in Gosen-Neu Zittau

Attack at the Gosen-Neu Zittau campus

Two people died following a knife attack on Thursday afternoon at a private school campus located on the outskirts of Gosen-Neu Zittau, a municipality of around 3,500 residents in the Oder-Spree district of Brandenburg. The victims were an 18-year-old female student and a 30-year-old school caretaker. The caretaker intervened during the assault in an effort to halt the attacker before sustaining fatal injuries. Emergency services and police officers arrived at the woodland campus around 13:45 following multiple emergency calls from the site. Officers provisionally detained a 19-year-old German male at the scene in connection with the killings, finding no evidence of further attackers.

Investigation and campus setting

Police and investigators categorized the incident as a relationship-motivated crime and a suspected femicide rather than an indiscriminate rampage. Initial findings indicate that the 19-year-old suspect was the former boyfriend of the 18-year-old student. The attack took place on the grounds of the Docemus private school group, a campus established in 2008 surrounded by forests and lakes. The facility houses a Gymnasium, an Oberschule, and a Fachoberschule under an educational model designed to promote permeability between different school tiers. Forensic teams cordoned off the hallway where the victims were found, while investigators set up a dedicated hotline at 0331 505905 to collect witness accounts and assist families seeking information.

Emergency response and pupil care

During the immediate aftermath of the assault, students remained locked inside classrooms while teachers instructed them to stay quiet. One mother reported receiving a call from her daughter, who hid in her classroom after seeing two bodies lying in the hallway. Brandenburg police announced the joint operation with rescue services on X at 14:30 before confirming that the danger had passed. Emergency personnel subsequently moved the pupils to the campus gymnasium, where staff verified identities and distributed water and food. Crisis intervention teams and emergency chaplains provided psychological support on site as officers gradually escorted crying teenagers and their parents across the schoolyard.

Institutional reactions and support measures

The Brandenburg state government and the school administration issued responses on Thursday afternoon. The Brandenburg Ministry of Education pledged psychological and organizational assistance, while Minister-President Dietmar Woidke expressed grief over the killings at the educational facility.

This act shakes our entire state. My thoughts and my deepest sympathy are in these difficult hours with the relatives of the victims, their families and friends.

Docemus managing director Michael Kunz announced that regular classes would be canceled on Friday, while declining to comment on specific details due to the ongoing investigation.

Regarding the specific circumstances and the course of events, we cannot and will not provide any information at this time in view of the ongoing investigation. The clarification of the incident lies with the responsible investigative authorities.