Man questioned over boy's school death

A masked man stabbed a boy to death in a Dutch primary school classroom today. Police said they arrested a suspect and were questioning him.

The incident happened around 11.15am (10.15 Irish time ) at the Klim-Op School in the town of Hoogerheide, 90 miles south of Amsterdam, police spokesman Willem van Hooijdonk told national broadcaster NOS.

“A pupil from the school was violently killed,” Van Hooijdonk said. “The killer fled but police have now arrested a suspect.”

Van Hooijdonk said the boy, who was in the fourth grade, meaning he likely was seven or eight years old, was killed in a classroom, but apparently not in front of his whole class.

“It does not appear that many children witnessed the incident,” Van Hooijdonk said. “As far as we can reconstruct it did not happen in front of a full classroom.”

A nearby resident told the national broadcaster NOS that the killer was rumoured to be the father of the dead child.

“I’ve heard that it was a family drama,” said the neighbour, whom the NOS identified as Mrs. Schot. “Apparently the child’s throat was slashed and there is a rumour that it was the father.”

Van Hooijdonk said he could not confirm the rumour.

“The relationship between the victim and the killer is still unclear,” he said. “We are investigating that at the moment.”

All the pupils were sent home after the killing and a crisis centre was established at the town hall in nearby Woensdrecht.

“Everyone is terribly upset at the school,” Van Hooijdonk said.

School killings are almost unheard-of in the Netherlands and few schools have strict security measures in place.