Two dead after knife attack at high school campus in Gosen-Neu Zittau near Berlin
An 18-year-old student and a 30-year-old man died following a knife attack at the Docemus school campus in Brandenburg on Thursday, where police detained a 19-year-old suspect.
Emergency response at the Docemus school campus
Emergency services and armed police units deployed to the Docemus private school campus in Gosen-Neu Zittau on Thursday, 27 August 2026. Authorities received multiple emergency calls from the premises before first responders arrived on the scene at approximately 13:45. Rescue crews, including local fire brigade personnel and two medical rescue helicopters, joined numerous police patrols in establishing a wide security cordon around the perimeter. Inside the facility, emergency medical personnel confirmed the deaths of two individuals who suffered fatal trauma. In addition to the fatalities, two other female students sustained injuries during the knife attack, according to reporting from the Berliner Zeitung.
Victims and the detention of a 19-year-old suspect
The two fatalities were identified as an 18-year-old female high school student and a 30-year-old man. Accounts from the Märkische Allgemeine Zeitung indicated that the 30-year-old man lost his life while attempting to intervene and prevent the attacker from harming the student. Law enforcement officers detained a 19-year-old male suspect at the scene in connection with the killings. The suspect is believed to be the former boyfriend of the deceased 18-year-old victim, though authorities did not immediately confirm whether he was a current or former student at the institution. A spokesperson for the Polizeidirektion Ost stated that investigators found no evidence pointing to an indiscriminate rampage or prior planning.
We are currently securing the crime scene.
Securing the crime scene and ongoing forensic work
Following the initial detention, Brandenburg police used their warning and communication channels to notify the public about the operation while confirming that no ongoing threat remained. Forensic teams secured the site to carry out evidence collection, trace preservation, and witness interviews across the cordoned premises. Approximately 30 individuals, consisting of students and teachers, remained inside the building under police supervision as investigators worked. Gosen-Neu Zittau is a municipality of roughly 3,500 residents situated in the Oder-Spree district of Brandenburg, about 8 kilometers southeast of Berlin. The incident occurred shortly after the end of the state summer holidays, when classes had just resumed across Brandenburg.
- Police and emergency services arrive at the Docemus school campus following emergency calls
- Brandenburg Police announce the crime scene is secured and confirm the suspect is in custody
- Docemus school suspends normal lessons while remaining open for psychological counseling
Campus operations and psychological support
The private Docemus campus, founded in 2008 in an area surrounded by forest and lakes, operates a Gymnasium, a secondary school (Oberschule), and a specialized vocational secondary school (Fachoberschule). The institutional structure emphasizes curriculum permeability between general academic and vocational educational pathways. School leadership decided that regular classes would be cancelled on Friday, 28 August 2026, following the tragedy. The school campus will remain open to provide pupils, teachers, and staff with a secure environment to speak with educators and professional crisis counseling teams.
