A 15-year-old youth allegedly linked to a banned neo-Nazi organisation went on a stabbing spree at a university dormitory in Russia’s Bashkortostan Republic on Saturday, injuring at least six people, including four Indian students. The attacker reportedly shouted nationalist slogans about the Holocaust and drew a Nazi symbol using the victims’ blood.According to preliminary reports, the teenager armed with a knife entered a dormitory of the State Medical University in Ufa and attacked students living there. Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic and chaos inside the hostel. “There was blood all around,” Ren TV reported, showing footage of the injured being rushed to hospitals in ambulance vans.The Baza channel claimed the attacker was linked to extremist ideology. “He belonged to the banned NS/WP neoNazi organisation. During the frenzy of attack, he was shouting nationalist slogans about (the) Holocaust,” it said, sharing a photo of a Nazi symbol drawn on a wall with the blood of the victims.
The attacker continued to resist even after police intervened. “The attacker resisted arrest, during which two police officers were stabbed. Furthermore, the suspect also inflicted bodily harm on himself,” interior ministry spokesperson Maj General Irina Volk was quoted as saying by RTVI.com webportal, as cited by PTI.In a release, the Russian Federal Health Ministry said one of the four injured is in serious condition, while three others are in moderate condition. The attacker, identified as a 15-year-old youth, has also been admitted to a local children’s hospital in serious condition, according to the Baza telegram channel.The Indian Embassy termed it an “unfortunate incident” and confirmed that “several persons including four Indian students have been injured.” It said it is in touch with Russian authorities and that officials from the Indian Consulate in Kazan are travelling to Ufa to provide assistance to the injured students.Authorities in Ufa, the capital of the Bashkortostan Republic located about 1,200 km east of Moscow, have launched a high-level probe into the incident.
