Curitiba: Brazilian military police free 13 children from suspected hostage takers

In southern Brazil, military police ended a hostage-taking at a daycare center and killed the suspected perpetrator. This was said by the head of the special forces of the military police of the state of Paraná, Alexandre Lopes Dias. The 13 children between the ages of four and five were handed over to the health authorities and the fire department. At least one of them was injured.

According to the police, the alleged hostage-taker barricaded himself with the children in a room at the daycare center and threatened to set the kindergarten on fire. The man is said to have poured out a flammable liquid and was holding a lighter in his hand. According to police, he had schizophrenia and was armed with a knife and what appeared to be a pistol. However, the firearm later turned out to be a dummy.

The police negotiated with the man for about three hours. After he started physically attacking the children, the decision was made to gain access, police said. Local media reported that several shots were fired and noise could be heard, possibly caused by stun grenades.

“The 13 children are alive and safe!” wrote the mayor of Curitiba, Eduardo Pimentel, on Instagram after the police intervened. "After moments of great tension and fear, this is the news we were all hoping for." Pimentel promised support for the affected families. It is unclear whether the man had a connection to the daycare center.

In Brazil there have been repeated attacks on childcare facilities in recent years. In April 2023, a man killed four children with an ax at a daycare center in Blumenau, southern Brazil.