Brazilian police have rescued 13 children held hostage at a kindergarten in Curitiba, southern Brazil, after officers killed a suspect who threatened to set the building ablaze.
The incident occurred on Friday in the Sao Braz neighbourhood of Curitiba, a city with approximately 1.8 million residents located about 400km (250 miles) south of Sao Paulo.
Alexandre Lopes Dias, commander of the military police special forces unit in Parana state, told reporters that at least one child sustained an injury during the ordeal. He, however, did not disclose how the child was injured.
Parana police spokesperson, Leticia Martins said the suspect scaled the kindergarten’s gate, forced his way into a classroom and seized 13 children. According to her, he spread a flammable substance around the room and held a lighter while carrying a knife and an object initially thought to be a firearm, which was later found to be fake.
“Our negotiating teams were in place but saw no alternative but to neutralise him,” Martins said, without revealing whether the suspect had explained his motive.
Lopes Dias identified the suspect as a man who had schizophrenia but withheld his name and details of how he was killed. He said the suspect remained close to the children throughout the negotiations, with one child sitting on his lap.
The negotiations lasted as long as three hours. Lopes Dias said the children became increasingly distressed during the standoff, while the suspect allegedly began physically assaulting them.
“Once we realised that the kids were becoming increasingly upset and that the attacker started assaulting them physically, we opted for a tactical intervention to avoid a greater problem,” he said.
Local media footage showed anxious parents waiting outside the kindergarten as police attempted to resolve the situation. Officers were later seen carrying some of the children out of the building, shortly after sounds described by local media as flash bangs were heard.
“We entered the classroom using a very tactical approach with little risk for the children,” Lopes Dias added.
Curitiba Mayor Eduardo Pimentel also announced the children’s rescue in a post on Instagram, expressing relief that all 13 had survived.
“The 13 children are alive and safe! After anguishing and tense moments, this is the news we were all waiting for,” he wrote.
Brazilian police kill suspect, rescue 13 children from kindergarten