Police in Poland say one killed in axe attack at Warsaw University

Polish police securing an area at Warsaw University's campus after an axe attack on May 7. PHOTO: REUTERS

UPDATED May 08, 2025, 04:11 AM

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WARSAW - Police said on May 7 they had detained a 22-year-old Polish man after he killed one person with an axe at Warsaw University, in an attack the institution described as a “huge tragedy”.

“Police have detained a man who entered the University of Warsaw campus. One person died, another was taken to hospital with injuries,” Warsaw Police said, in a statement on X.

They said the incident occurred at around 6.40pm (12.40am on May 8 in Singapore), when the man attacked people on the campus with an axe, adding that the detainee was a 22-year-old Polish citizen.

Gazeta Wyborcza daily reported that the attacker was a third-year law student.

Private broadcaster Polsat News reported that a woman’s severed head and an axe had been found at the university.

A spokesperson for the district prosecutor’s office declined to comment on whether a severed head had been found.