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Crazed knifeman kills two children and nursery teacher
Allan Hall and Justin Davenport23 Jan 2009
A psychiatric patient stabbed to death a woman and two children under the age of three in a horrifying attack at a creche in Belgium today.
Eleven other children and two women workers were injured when the knifeman ran wild in the nursery in a small town 20 miles from Brussels.
The man — who was smeared with black and white war paint — burst into the school at about 10am local time.
The woman who died is believed to have been a nursery teacher who tried to defend the children.
The assailant, aged 28, arrived at the creche saying he wanted to ask a question, but then leapt into one of the rooms to launch his attack before stabbing more victims in another room.
The wounded were being treated at local hospitals. Three of the children were in a critical condition. The attack in the Sint-Gillis suburb of the small town of Dendermonde has stunned the nation.
Officials said the suspect rang the doorbell at the daycare centre and when staff opened the door he ran upstairs and began attacking the children.
About 18 children were there at the time, they said. After the carnage at the De Rakkertjes nursery the knifeman escaped on a bicycle.
He was caught at a psychiatric clinic, where he was receiving treatment, a short time afterwards.
Early reports said the man had a grudge against children and went to the premises this morning with a long-bladed knife.
Staff at the nursery say he was not known to them. He was taken to a police station in Brussels usually reserved for terrorist suspects.
As police hunted him in the immediate aftermath of the attack the authorities put a disaster plan into action.
Ambulances took the wounded to local hospitals while officials sought adequate blood supplies for transfusions.
Police said the man must have presented a “frightening aspect” to the toddlers with his “black-and-white make-up and red hair”. They also described him as extremely thin.
One Flemish TV station reported: “It was a total bloodbath with medics with tears streaming down their faces trying to attend to the screaming, wounded children.” Another commentator said: “This is Belgium's Dunblane,” a reference to the massacre of 16 schoolchildren by a mad gunman in the Scottish town in 1996.
Piet Buys, the mayor of Dendermonde, said: “The killing zone has been cordoned off and the victims are being attended to.
“Those who were not injured have been brought to a central crisis centre for care and counselling. They are in deep shock and need help. We are devastated by this.
“We do not know who the perpetrator is or his motives.”
Interior minister Zaken Guido De Padt has travelled to the scene.
The loner who killed 16 children
Sixteen children and their teacher died in the Dunblane massacre in March 1996.
Loner Thomas Hamilton, pictured, burst into Dunblane Primary School in Scotland with four handguns, shooting the children and teacher dead in the gym before killing himself.
The children were aged between five and six and the massacre led to a ban on handguns. Among those who escaped was tennis player Andy Murray, who was eight and hid in an office.
Hamilton, a former Scout leader, was thought to have had a personality disorder but his motive was never really established.
Reader views (10)
Oooops!!
Another mass-murder!
I suppose through selective breeding within the past 20 years mass murderers have proliferated. Then again, that is actually physically impossible and been disproven.
Europe 'becoming' like the USA....?
I wonder what's wrong with the USA?
Oh well, let's just reduce the entire world to mono-race slaves and destroy the whole planet. After all, that couldn't be the cause of the problem at all.
Not with the most prescribed drug for women today being psychiatric anti-depressant drugs.
Mind you, they know why all these individuals acted this way. You can usually find it if you read the police reports, get second opinions, etc.
- Adam, Australia, 30/03/2009 13:32
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I am deeply saddened by what took place at that nursery. Mental health issues have been part of the human existence forever. I hope that we can find ways that keep most people safe without putting us all in a constant state of fear.
- William, Detroit, MI US, 26/01/2009 03:58
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I'd be interested to hear from Paul from Manchester about what effect passing some new legislation might have on murderous psychopaths. Care in the community is all very well when there are people around to ensure the mentally ill take their medication, so maybe Paul would like that job when other employment possibilities have dried up?
- LMD, London, 25/01/2009 16:41
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What a terrible thing to happen. So depressing that it is getting as bad in Europe as over here now.
- jenny, san francisco ca ( ex-londoner), 25/01/2009 13:35
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Why are mental patients allowed in the community... the authorities must have known this man was a danger. My thought are with the parents of those poor children and the teacher...
- barbara, sydney, Australia,, 25/01/2009 11:12
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Im not a parent but i do have nephews and neices that i love soo much. and reading this news angers me soo much.
Lets see if any new laws are passed after this case. i hope laws get tougher to protect us all.
just like in china. where u fear the goverment more than the guy next to you. so you know you in safe hands unless your a criminal ..
- paul, Manchester, 25/01/2009 02:12
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I know some people think that psychiatric patients should be allowed to live 'normal' lives', and of course, some can do this quite safely, but this nutter clearly should not have been on the streets and able to commit such a terrible, terrible act. I really feel for those poor children and their families, plus the nursery staff. It's a sad state of affairs when our children have to be locked into their nursery, and even then they aren't safe. I hope they lock him up for life.
- Beck, Southampton, 24/01/2009 13:42
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Oh its so sad. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims. What has this world come to?
- Yasmin, London, UK, 24/01/2009 12:55
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Glenn, your comments are neither funny, ironic or useful.
- Paulo Uccello, London UK, 23/01/2009 18:36
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This madness will continue until we adopt common sense knife control. There should be mandatory knife safety training and a 5 day waiting period for the purchase of knives and other cutlery.
- Glenn, New York, USA, 23/01/2009 17:08
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