Croatian man sentenced to 50 years for killing 7-year-old student in school attack

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A Croatia man was sentenced Tuesday to 50 years in prison for fatally stabbing a 7-year-old student in an attack at a school that shocked the European Union country where such violence is rare.

The attack on Dec. 20, 2024, at the Precko Elementary School in Zagreb also wounded three students and a teacher.

The 20-year-old attacker, who was identified only by his intials L.M., was 19 when he walked into his former school wielding a knife and stabbed the children and the teacher. He later tried to kill himself.

Police last year said the man had lived in the vicinity of the school. Children between the ages of 7 and 15 attend elementary schools in Croatia.

The sentence handed down by a panel of judges at the County Court in Zagreb can be appealed. Kresimir Skarica, a lawyer representing the family of the deceased victim, said the verdict was expected, the Index news portal reported.

“There are no winners or losers in this case,” Skarica said.

In May 2023, a teenager in neighboring Serbia opened fire at a school in the capital Belgrade, killing nine fellow students and a school guard.