13-year-old who wounded a teacher and two pupils in Bistrița leaves hospital, is expelled

The attack and the victims

On Monday, 19 October, a 13-year-old pupil in the seventh grade attacked people at a school in Bistrița with a knife, wounding a 28-year-old female maths teacher and two pupils. One of the pupils was reportedly the intended target and escaped with a superficial wound to the back, while the other was hurt when he intervened to help the teacher. The teacher spent a week in hospital, where she underwent surgery, and was discharged on Monday, 26 October, from the county emergency hospital in Bistrița, where doctors described her post-operative condition as favourable. Prosecutors said the boy arrived at school wearing a military-style helmet, a balaclava and gloves. Investigators found messages in English and symbols they described as extremist, legionary-extremist and far-right in a washroom where he had changed before the attack.

Hospital, police and the criminal case

The boy had been admitted to the child psychiatry clinic in Cluj-Napoca with his mother on the day of the attack. He was discharged on Tuesday, 27 October, and taken to the county police inspectorate in Bistrița-Năsăud for questioning. The clinic said in a statement that its assessment produced individualised recommendations for him and his family.

“Following the evaluation, individualised medical and psychosocial recommendations were formulated, targeting both the continuation of specialised care and collaboration between family, school and the services involved.”

A criminal case was opened for attempted qualified murder. Because the boy is below the age of criminal responsibility, he cannot be held criminally liable for his actions. Romanian law also rules out preventive arrest or judicial control for him, so an electronic monitoring bracelet is used to check his safety perimeters.

Expulsion and protection orders

The teaching council and the board of administration of the school decided to expel the boy, and the decision reached the Bistrița-Năsăud school inspectorate on Tuesday, 27 October. School inspector general Vasile Șteopoaie said the boy may re-enrol from the next school year, but only at a different school. Bistrița Court issued eight protection orders, each valid for 12 months, with seven requested by pupils and one by the teacher. The eighth order was requested and issued on 26 October at the request of another pupil from the same school. The orders require the boy to keep at least 50 metres from the victims, their homes and the school, to wear an electronic monitoring device permanently and to have no contact with them by any means. The 26 October order also obliges him to attend psychological counselling, and the decisions are published on the courts' portal.

Child protection and the investigation

The child protection directorate DGASPC Bistrița-Năsăud said the boy remains under its attention for a detailed, multidisciplinary assessment. Its spokesperson Camelia Mureșan said the process will include meetings between directorate specialists and the boy and his parents. Investigators are still examining the motive for the attack and how the attacker got into the school with the knife. They are also checking whether there were gaps in the school's security and access controls.