STOUPTSY, Belarus -- Authorities say a teenager is suspected of stabbing a teacher and a student to death with a knife in a rare school attack in the former Soviet republic.
The Investigative Committee said that a 15-year-old student of School No. 2 in Stouptsy attacked a female teacher and three students during classes on February 11.
The statement said that the 10th-grade student came to class early on the morning of February 11, dropped his backpack at his desk, and left the classroom, before returning minutes later and stabbing a 50-year-old history teacher in the neck.
The teacher died on the spot.
The attacker, identified by local residents as Vadzim M., also stabbed two students who tried to defend the teacher.
The two are currently in the intensive-care unit at a hospital in Stouptsy, which is located about 65 kilometers southwest of Minsk.
WATCH: Scenes from outside the school by RFE/RL's Belarus Service
The assailant then left the class and entered a nearby classroom, where he stabbed a 17-year-old student, who also died on the spot.
The alleged attacker was detained two hours later outside the school.
The Investigative Committee's directorate in the Minsk region has launched an investigation into the killings.
The school’s deputy principal, Lyudmila Staravoytava, told reporters that there were "no problems" regarding the suspect's behavior.
"This kid has always been quiet and well-behaved," Staravoytava added.
Staravoytava identified the teacher who was killed as "Maryna Mikhaylauna, a very good teacher and a great colleague."
