South America10 October, 20262 min read
Brazil Police Kill Suspect After 13 Kindergarteners Held Hostage In Curitiba
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Thirteen children were rescued after a Curitiba kindergarten hostage situation. Police killed the hostage-taker following the standoff.
Hostage rescue in Curitiba
Brazilian police rescued 13 children taken hostage at a kindergarten in Curitiba after killing a suspect who threatened to set the building on fire, according to officials.
Parana police spokesperson Leticia Martins said the suspect jumped the gate on Friday, broke into a classroom, and held 13 children hostage.
Alexandre Lopes Dias, commander of the military police special forces unit in Parana state, said the suspect spread a flammable substance in the room and held a lighter in his hand.
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."
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.
Negotiation turns to assault
Alexandre Lopes Dias said the attacker stayed with all the children around him and one on his lap during the entire negotiation. Lopes Dias said the children became agitated and the attacker started hitting them, and he explained, "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." Leticia Martins said officers opened fire when the attacker attempted to seize one of the children, and the suspect was neutralised during the operation.
Azernews.az reported that the state’s military police said the hostage situation unfolded in the afternoon at a municipal early childhood education centre in the São Braz district and lasted approximately three hours. Parana police spokesperson Leticia Martins told journalists outside the kindergarten that the suspect was identified as a man who suffered from schizophrenia, and she did not reveal the man’s identity or how he was killed.
Injuries, support, and details
At least one child was wounded in the incident, and Lopes Dias told reporters without elaborating on who or what injured the child. Azernews.az said two children sustained injuries and five were taken to hospital for medical examinations, and it added that psychological assistance was provided to all the children. Curitiba City Hall said in a statement that the children and school staffers would receive psychological support, after the hostage standoff ended.
Al Jazeera reported that the suspect was carrying a knife and also what was initially believed to be a firearm, but later was found to be fake, and it said he threatened to set the building on fire. Revista Semana said the Paraná Military Police special forces entered when they heard the children crying and being harmed, and it quoted Alexandre Lopes Dias saying, "We managed to neutralize that person and rescue the 13 children, who were taken to medical and fire services to receive care."