Brazil: Attacker kills 4 children in kindergarten

Four children were killed on Wednesday in an attack on a kindergarten in southern Brazil.

The attack occurred in the city of Blumenau in Brazil's southern Santa Catarina state.

What else do we know about the attack on the center?

The 25-year-old man burst into the Cantinho Bom Pastor center wielding an axe and killed four children, wounding an additional four victims. He then turned himself in at a police station and was arrested.

Brazilian news site G1 reported that three of those killed were boys and one was a girl, with the victims being between 5 and 6 years old.

The attack occurred at the kindergarten's playground, according to the local affiliate of the Globo broadcaster. The state's firefighter corps said the attacker jumped over one of the center's walls to get inside.

Brazilian news site G1 showed images of emergency workers and police outside of the preschool, where dozens of people waited behind a security cordon.

An officer told the crowd to remain calm, adding that only parents were allowed inside.

Police detective Ronnie Esteves told reporters that authorities were still searching for a motive.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva condemned the attack as a "monstrosity."

"There is no greater pain than a family that loses children or grandchildren, even more so when it is an act of violence against innocent and defenseless children," he said.

Santa Catarina Govenror Jorginho Mello declared three days of mourning for the "terrible" attack.

Other attacks on schools

Brazil has seen a number of attacks on schools in recent years.

The last attack on a daycare occurred in 2021, when an attacker wielding a dagger killed three children under 2 years old and two adults.

Last week, a student in Sao Paulo fatally stabbed a teacher and wounded several others.

From 2000 to 2022, 16 attacks happened in Brazilian schools, according to a report from researchers at the University of Sao Paulo commissioned by Lula's government after four of the 16 took place in the second half of last year.

sdi/msh (AFP, Lusa, AP)