Firebombing aftermath

Rainer Wendt of the German Police Union (DPoIG) says the terrible incident in the Bavarian town of Ansbach proves once again that German schools are not safe.

Despite pledges by politicians following two previous deadly attacks at German schools, he said, there is still a severe lack of social workers or psychologists who would be able to recognize a student's problems.

"Every German school should have at least one social worker and one psychologist," the head of the union said in a newspaper interview on Friday. "We need a comprehensive early warning system for schools."

An 18-year-old student had burst into Carolinum High School in Ansbach, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of Munich, early on Thursday and hurled firebombs into two classrooms.

Georg R. severely injured one girl with an axe, while a teacher and some of the students suffered burns from the firebombs. Media reports on Friday said the girl is still in critical condition.

Second major attack at a German school in six months

Since it did not have a special warning system, the school's principle sounded the fire alarm bell to evacuate the roughly 700 students. Police were at the scene within minutes. The officers cornered the attacker and, as he refused to surrender, shot at him five times. He was rushed to hospital and remains in critical condition. Prosecutors are seeking an arrest warrant on charges of attempted murder.

"The quick response helped prevent a serious escalation of the situation," Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann told a news conference.

In the aftermath of the attack, students criticized the fact that they heard a fire alarm bell ring, but were in no way warned of a school rampage.

"It hardly bears thinking about what can happen if students and teachers leave their classrooms and walk right into the attacker's line of fire," said Helga-Schmitt-Bussinger, Social Democratic member of the state parliamentary.

The motive for the attack is still unclear

Police in Ansbach are to begin interrogating parents, fellow-students and teachers on Friday.

Georg R. was in his final year of high school, and did not have a criminal record. According to German media reports on Friday, however, investigators searching the young man's room found indications the attack may have been planned for a long time, including documents announcing an impending 'apocalypse.' Georg R. is also said to have been in therapy.

Fellow students gave conflicting accounts of their classmate. While some said he was not a frustrated student or a loner, others said he had no friends and sat by himself in class.

Police had been warning of copycat shootings ever since a teenager went on a killing spree that led to 15 deaths in the south-west German town of Winnenden six months ago. Tim K. was a disgruntled former student; he died in a dramatic shoot-out with police. The Winnenden rampage was the second worst school shooting in German history after 17 people, including the teenage gunman, died in 2002 in the eastern city of Erfurt.

In May, a 16-year-old girl was arrested when arriving at her school wearing a mask, armed with knives, an air gun and a backpack filled with bottles of flammable liquid.

db/dpa/AP
Editor: Andreas Illmer