New Delhi: A 15-year-old suspect in the knife attack at a medical university dormitory in Ufa in Russia’s Bashkortostan Republic had reported links to a banned neo-Nazi group and shouted extremist slogans referencing the Holocaust during the assault, according to Russian media and Telegram channel reports.
Visuals shared by local outlets also showed a swastika symbol drawn on a hostel wall, allegedly using a victim’s blood. Authorities have launched a high-level probe into the incident, though they have not officially confirmed the extremist affiliation claims.
How the attack unfolded
At least six students, including four Indians, and two police officers were injured in the stabbing attack at the State Medical University hostel housing foreign students on Saturday. Russia’s interior ministry said the teenage attacker entered the dormitory with a knife and stabbed several students before being detained.
Interior ministry spokesperson Major General Irina Volk said the suspect resisted arrest, during which two police officers were stabbed. The attacker also inflicted injuries on himself and has been admitted to a local children’s hospital in serious condition.
The Russian federal health ministry said four of the injured are under treatment, one of them in critical condition and three in moderate condition. Ambulances transported multiple victims from the scene, with eyewitnesses describing heavy bloodshed inside the building.
Attacker shouted Holocaust-related slogans
Telegram channel Baza reported that the suspect may be associated with National Socialism / White Power (NS/WP) Crew, also known as Sparrows Crew, which was designated a terrorist organisation by Russia’s Supreme Court in 2021. The report also claimed the attacker shouted nationalist and Holocaust-related slogans during the attack.
The Indian Embassy in Moscow confirmed that four Indian students were among those injured and said it is coordinating with Russian authorities. Officials from the Indian Consulate in Kazan are travelling to Ufa to assist the affected students.