Romanian seventh-grader who attacked teacher, fellow student with knife “appears to show no remorse”

The chief prosecutor of the Bistrița-Năsăud Tribunal, Adrian Briciu, said on Tuesday, October 21, that the seventh-grade student who attacked a teacher and several children at a school in Bistrița with a knife had “extremist, Legionary-extremist, far-right symbols” on him and that he premeditated the attack.

The student came to school that day with a military-style helmet, a balaclava, gloves, and a pocketknife, according to the prosecutor. He got dressed in the bathroom, where investigators found messages in English and “extremist, Legionary-extremist, far-right symbols.”

Prosecutors found that the student did not regret his actions and did not appear to feel remorse.

“On October 19, 2026, at around 8:00–8:30 AM, a 13-year-old minor, a seventh-grade student at a lower secondary school in the city of Bistrița, went to school carrying, more specifically in his school backpack, a military-style helmet, a balaclava and gloves, as well as a pocketknife. He went there with the intention of physically assaulting a sixth-grade student who attended the same school as the attacker, motivated by the fact that he considered him Indian, most likely due to his darker skin color,” Bistrița-Năsăud Tribunal chief prosecutor Adrian Briciu said, cited by News.ro.

According to him, the student entered the bathroom, where he got dressed, and then went to the door of the classroom attended by the targeted student. He was met by the teacher, whom he attacked and struck several times. The assault stopped only when another student rushed to help.

Adrian Briciu said the act had been premeditated, “given that he had prepared at home with that mask, gloves, and helmet.” He explained that the attacker “was not perceived as a person who felt remorse.”

“He did not behave in a way that suggested he regretted his actions. He did not seem like a person who was affected; I do not know to what extent he is aware of what he has done,” Adrian Briciu further stated.

He reiterated that the adolescent is not criminally liable.

“From a criminal law perspective, no measures can be taken because he is not criminally liable, and the measures that can be taken fall outside our jurisdiction, so to speak. They can be taken by the Directorate General for Social Assistance and Child Protection, in the form of specialized supervision measures,” the cited source further stated.