Teen arrested over axe attack on Sarawak teacher; minister urges public not to shame him
"This matter must be approached with care and compassion. The adolescent involved is still growing and developing," said Sarawak's Minister of Women, Children and Community Well-being Development Fatimah Abdullah.
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SINGAPORE: A 16-year-old student has been arrested after allegedly attacking a female teacher with an axe at an international school in Malaysia's Sarawak state, in an incident that was livestreamed on social media.
Sarawak police said they received an emergency call around 8.03am reporting that a student had brought firecrackers to school and injured a teacher with an axe.
The victim, a female teacher, reportedly sustained injuries to her hand.
Recordings of the Facebook livestream, which lasted about 12 minutes, circulated on social media before they were taken down by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, according to Malaysian media reports.
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The footage, purportedly recorded from the teenager's perspective, showed him taking an axe and a lighter out of his schoolbag while inside a school toilet.
He appeared to have a mobile phone strapped to his head to record his movements before running towards a classroom, where the alleged attack occurred.
The footage became shaky during the commotion before the screen went black, although screams could still be heard.
The teenager was subsequently detained and held in the psychiatric ward of Sarawak General Hospital for further assessment, according to New Straits Times.
Investigations are ongoing to establish the motive of the attack. A press conference has been scheduled for Oct 27.
MINISTER URGES COMPASSION
Sarawak's Minister of Women, Children and Community Well-being Development Fatimah Abdullah urged the public not to "be quick to condemn, label or shame" the teenager without understanding the circumstances surrounding the incident.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, she said violence involving weapons must be taken seriously, but cautioned against judging the teenager without understanding the circumstances surrounding the incident.
"Any incident involving violence or the use of a weapon must be taken seriously and addressed appropriately to protect the entire school community," said Fatimah.
"At the same time, this matter must be approached with care and compassion. The adolescent involved is still growing and developing.
"Accountability and compassion are not mutually exclusive. We can uphold the safety of teachers and students while ensuring that the adolescent is treated with dignity and receives appropriate guidance and support," she said.
Fatimah also urged the public not to share footage of the attack, warning that doing so could cause further distress, expose those involved to online harassment and compromise their privacy.
"Social media must not become a platform for public shaming or trial by public opinion," she said.
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