LONDON (AP) — A teenage girl was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Wednesday after stabbing a student and two teachers at a secondary school in Wales, police said.
The three victims were taken to a hospital for treatment of stab wounds after the attack at Amman Valley School in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Dyfed-Powys Police said.
“A teenage girl has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and currently remains in police custody," police Superintendent Ross Evans said.
Jonathan Edwards, an independent member of Parliament from the area, said that a student was stabbed and the teachers were wounded when they tried to intervene.
Edwards said that one teacher was treated for injuries to the arm and hand and the other was transferred to a hospital in Cardiff for more serious injuries.
“It is a huge shock, isn’t it really?" Edwards told Channel 5 News. “I’d never think that anything like this could possibly happen in Carmarthenshire, in the Amman Valley where I am from. I can’t recall anything like this ever happening in Wales before.”
Evans didn't disclose details of what happened, information about the suspect or the extent of the injuries. But he said the incident was over and children had left the school.
“She said she was scared," Charlotte Rogers said of her daughter as she waited for the girl to emerge from the school following a lockdown. “She’s a tough cookie so fingers crossed. I just want to give her a big hug. I just want everyone to be safe. This shouldn’t have happened.”
Vaughan Gething, first minister of Wales, and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak both said on the social media platform X that they were shocked to learn of the attack, which was initially referred to by police as a “major incident.”
Patrick Roach, general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, said that it was “extremely distressing” to hear about the attack.
“No teacher should have to fear being assaulted at work and everything that can be done must be done to ensure the safety of staff and pupils," Roach said.
