Malaysian police blamed social media after a 14-year-old boy stabbed a 16-year-old school student to death, sparking national outrage and calls for tighter online controls.
The incident took place on Tuesday at a secondary school in Selangor, near Kuala Lumpur, where the two students studied. The police responded to the emergency call at 9.40am after a teacher heard her screams and found the victim near a toilet with multiple stab wounds.
The suspect was detained within 30 minutes of the incident and is being held until 21 October at the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters.
Police have seized two sharp objects believed to have been used from the scene.
“It is believed that emotional impulses and the influence of social media have been identified as factors that may have led the suspect to behave in such a manner,” Selangor police chief Shazeli Kahar told a press conference on Tuesday.
Police said authorities have yet to establish a motive behind the incident.
Prime minister Anwar Ibrahim responded by calling for stronger regulation of online platforms, citing a rise in violent incidents against girls in schools over recent months.
“The responsibility, of course, goes back to parents and schools, but almost all of these issues stem from the unchecked use of mobile phones and social media,” Mr Ibrahim said after attending the Finance Ministry’s monthly assembly in Putrajaya Wednesday.
He added that his ministers would discuss stricter measures on social media usage at the next cabinet meeting.
Videos of the incident purportedly showed the teenage boy walking in the school corridor with blood stained school uniform and a knife in hand.
It is believed that the two had not interacted before the incident.
The police confirmed the discovery of a handwritten note believed to have been left by the teenage suspect. The suspect’s father, a 40-year-old man who did not wish to be named, said he was “heartbroken” and could not comprehend his son’s actions.
“I am heartbroken my son did this. I know that no matter what I say, it’s useless. No matter what I do, I can’t get their daughter back. I don’t know how to face them,” he said, according to China Press.
He described his son as introverted and quiet, saying there was nothing unusual about him on the morning of the attack.
“I sent him to school as usual. I didn’t expect such a thing to happen,” he said.
