Four young children were killed in a knife attack at a nursery school in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, police said on Friday, in an incident that has shocked the country.
The victims, three boys and a girl aged about two and three years old, were “brutally stabbed and killed” during the morning attack, according to a police spokesperson, who said the children died instantly.
Authorities said a 39-year-old man has been arrested and is being questioned, with investigations ongoing to determine his motive and background, as well as the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala said the suspect had earlier visited the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Program School to inquire about enrolling a child and had been asked to return the following day.
“He paid for admission and after that proceeded and attacked these children, killing four of them instantly,” she said, adding that the attack occurred before 11:00 local time, when police responded to a distress call.
Kawala said angry parents attempted to lynch the suspect before he was taken into custody, while videos circulating on social media showed distressed crowds gathering outside the school in search of information about their children.
The remaining 10 children who were present at the school were safely returned to their parents, police said, as investigators continue their work at the scene and authorities urge calm following an attack that has raised serious concerns about school safety in Uganda.
