03 May 2023 , 16:40
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Two young children have been seriously injured in a knife attack at a primary school.
Police in Berlin said two girls aged 7 and 8 had been hurt in the attack at Protestant School Neukoelln, and one left with life-threatening injuries.
The other was said to be in a 'serious' condition.
A 39-year-old suspect was detained, police said, adding that the circumstances of the attack remained unclear.
Both injured girls taken to the hospital by helicopter, reports German newspaper Bild.
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Parents were seen crying and hugging their children as pupils were led outside the school following an all-clear at 5pm local time (4pm GMT) on Wednesday.
Pupils were allowed to leave Protestant School Neukoelln following an all-clear at 5pm (AP)Two teachers are understood to be with the injured children in hospital.
Initial findings suggest the perpetrator suffered from mental illness, and he is not thought to be related to any of the victims. A weapon has been secured from the scene.
District mayor of Neukölln district, Martin Hikel, said he was shocked and "deeply affected" by the attack.
He wrote on Facebook: "My thoughts are with the two injured children and the many who had to witness what happened,"
A weapon has been secured from the scene, local media says (AP)Berlin education secretary Katharina Günther-Wünsch (CDU) has also driven to the school to find out more about the situation.
It comes just hours after an unrelated mass shooting in Belgrade, Serbia left nine people dead, including eight pupils.
Kosta Kecmanovi, 13, first killed a guard at the school in central Belgrade before injuring three students in a hallway, according to senior police official Veselin Milic.
He then entered a classroom - apparently choosing it simply because it was close to the entrance - and opened fire again, Milic said.
The assailant called police himself when the attack was over, though authorities had already been alerted to the shooting.
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