The high school in the Barmen area of Wuppertal, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, has been cordoned off, as has parts of the town centre as police swarm the scene
Gun-wielding police officers have stormed a German school amid reports of a masked knifeman prowling through the halls.
The high school is in Wuppertal in Germany’s state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has now been cordoned off as have parts of the town centre.
Cops received reports at around 10am local time, with police immediately rushing to the scene. They had been told a masked man was inside the school and that the children had locked themselves inside their classrooms.
Bild reported that concerned parents have started to arrive at the scene. Police said there have been no injuries. The German daily added that several students were sat outside the front of the school, crying, as concerned parents arrived. Rescue workers and emergency pastors are said to be comforting relatives.
Reporters at the scene shared images of a steady stream of armed specialist police officers arriving at the school. The high school is a large complex which consists of four interconnected buildings.
German police wrote on X, formerly Twitter, saying: “Current operation at a school in #Barmen : The police are on site with many emergency personnel and are clarifying the situation. Please avoid the area. #Wuppertal”.
Speaking to Bild, police spokesman Andreas Reuter added: “The operation began shortly after 10 a.m. this morning. We received information about a suspicious person in the school area. We then brought together strong emergency services and took appropriate measures.”
According to BILD, the evacuation of the school is imminent, and the St Antonius Church, which is within walking distance, is preparing to welcome the students. A school spokeswoman told WDR that the children locking themselves in their class was part of the faculty’s emergency plan. The school has around 750 pupils who are taught by 55 teachers.
On Ferbruary 22 this year, five students were injured after a knife attack at another school in Wuppertal, Wilhelm Dörpfeld Gymnasium. A 17-year-old male student at the school, who sustained “life-threatening injuries.” A teacher said the pupils were attacked with a knife and a pair of scissors.
Herbert Reul, the interior minister of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, said at the time that it appeared the suspect was a lone perpetrator and that his injuries were self-inflicted.
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