2015 Barcelona school attack

May 2026School attack in Spain Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain title,inline 20 April 2015 9:20 – 9:40 Stabbing, slashing, crossbow attack, attempted arson 1 4 13-year-old student Psychotic break * Crossbow Machete Molotov cocktails (unused) On 20 April 2015, a 13-year-old carried out an attack at his high school, IES Joan Fuster, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, killing one teacher and injuring four others.20 April 2015 Spain pupil with 'crossbow' kills teacher in Barcelona https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32380705 BBC.com 6 November 2017 BBC News The student was armed with a crossbow and a machete,Burgen Stephen 20 April 2015 Boy armed with crossbow kills teacher in Barcelona https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/20/teacher-killed-in-school-crossbow-attack-in-barcelona The Guardian 6 November 2017 Upon arriving at school, he began shooting in a class with the crossbow and attacking students and staff with a machete, resulting in a teacher being killed and two students and another teacher being injured.20 April 2015 Student with crossbow, machete kills teacher at school in Barcelona https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/student-with-crossbow-machete-kills-teacher-at-school-in-barcelona-1.3040257 17 April 2026 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Associated Press The attack is the first school attack in Spain where a teacher was killed.Frayer Lauren 20 April 2015 Teen held in teacher's death following crossbow attack in Barcelona http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-spain-school-attack-20150420-story.html 6 November 2017 Los Angeles Times Background While the attack was the first documented case of a fatal school attack in Spain, there had been a previous, unsuccessful planned school attack, when in October 2012, agents of the National Police Corps arrested a young man in Palma de Mallorca was arrested and was found to have been plotting to bomb University of the Balearic Islands with 140 kilograms of explosives (that he had acquired on the internet), in a copycat crime trying to emulate the Columbine massacre.https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20121004/detenido-joven-queria-atentar-con-140-kilos-explosivos-universidad-mallorca/567144.shtml Detenido un joven que quería atentar con 140 kilos de explosivos en la Universidad de Mallorca RTVE 2025-10-12Redacción 2015-04-20 El ataque de Barcelona, en el aniversario de Columbine https://www.lne.es/espana/2015/04/20/ataque-barcelona-aniversario-columbine-19824413.html 2024-09-23 La Nueva España eshttps://www.sinembargo.mx/387525/policia-espanola-detiene-a-joven-que-planeaba-masacre-en-universidad-de-islas-baleares Policía española detiene a joven que planeaba masacre en Universidad de Islas Baleares Sin Embargo 2025-10-12 24 October 2025 https://web.archive.org/web/20251024234620/https://www.sinembargo.mx/387525/policia-espanola-detiene-a-joven-que-planeaba-masacre-en-universidad-de-islas-baleares/ dead The earliest documented case of a murder on school grounds in recent Spanish history occurred in October of 2003, when three Dominican migrants stabbed a Colombian student to death at the gates of the Instituto Sant Josep de Calassanç located in Barcelona.De Columbine al ‘loco de la ballesta’: muertes violentas a manos de menores https://www.bankinter.com/blog/lo-ultimo/de-columbine-al-145-loco-de-la-ballesta-146-muertes-violentas-a-manos-de-menores On 28 April 2005, the youths were sentenced to 17 years in prison and €190,000 in compensation for the charge of murder with malice aforethought.https://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2005/04/28/sociedad/1114676571.html Condenan a 17 años de cárcel a los tres dominicanos mayores de edad por el asesinato de Ronny Tapias El Mundo 2025-10-12https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/espana/2005/04/28/condenan-17-anos-prision-tres-asesinos-ronny-tapias/0003_3679895.htm Condenan a 17 años de prisión a tres de los asesinos de Ronny Tapia La Voz de Galicia 2025-10-12 Attack The student shot a Spanish-language teacher in the face and shot the daughter of the teacher in the leg with a modified crossbow using homemade projectiles. 35-year-old Abel Martínez Oliva, a substitute teacher, confronted the student and was fatally stabbed or slashed in the chest with the machete. The student then stabbed or slashed another student in the leg before he was confronted by the school's physical education teacher, David Jurado Fernández.https://www.lavanguardia.com/local/barcelona/20150421/54430072792/ultima-leccion-heroicidad-profesor-fallecido.html La última lección de heroicidad del profesor fallecido Javier Ricou 21 April 2015 28 February 2025 La Vanguardia eshttps://www.larazon.es/sociedad/el-primer-profesor-que-muere-en-espana-a-manos-de-un-alumno-GD9500822/ El primer profesor que muere en España a manos de un alumno E. Magariños 20 April 2015 28 February 2025 La Razón eshttps://www.thetimes.com/article/i-hugged-classroom-killer-and-he-started-to-cry-said-hero-teacher-92sngk8prdr I hugged classroom killer and he started to cry, said hero teacher Graham Keeley 21 April 2015 28 February 2025 The TimesRubio Cristina 20 April 2025 Diez años del 'niño de la ballesta', el crimen "inédito y excepcional" de un alumno contra un profesor en Barcelona https://www.elmundo.es/cataluna/2025/04/20/680155dffc6c838f7d8b4572.html 18 April 2026 El Mundo es20 April 2015 Un alumno con una ballesta mata a un profesor en Barcelona https://www.abc.es/catalunya/20150420/abci-profesora-muerta-varios-heridos-201504201016.html?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.es%2Fsociedad%2F20150424%2Fabci-entierro-profesor-barcelona-201504232135.html 15 June 2026 ABC esSallent J. Morros J. Vicens L. 22 April 2015 "Era una excelente persona", aseguran los compañeros del docente fallecido https://www.lne.es/sucesos/2015/04/22/excelente-persona-aseguran-companeros-docente-19824033.html 15 June 2026 La Nueva España es According to Jurado, he found the student in the second-floor classroom with a knife, a crossbow, a backpack, and manipulating a beer bottle to make a Molotov cocktail. Jurado then told the student that he was hurting more people than he realized and asked him to show him what he had in his backpack. The student did, then collapsed in tears into Jurado's arms.Alexander Harriet 21 April 2015 Barcelona crossbow attack: 'He collapsed sobbing like a child' https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/11552132/Barcelona-crossbow-attack-He-collapsed-sobbing-like-a-child.html The Telegraph 12 March 2019 Telegraph Media Group Limited Jurado then sat with the student in the classroom until the police arrived.Navarro Mayka 21 April 2015 "Lo abracé y empezó a llorar" http://www.elperiodico.com/es/sociedad/20150420/el-profesor-de-educacion-fisica-relata-como-subio-a-la-segunda-planta-para-ver-que-sucedia-y-logro-desarmar-al-nino-con-palabras-4118013 El Periódico de Catalunya 12 March 2019 Grupo Zeta Victims One teacher, Abel Martínez Oliva, was killed in the attack, and four others were injured. Martínez was a substitute teacher who had only recently begun working at the school. Two additional teachers and two students were also injured in the attacks. None of the injured victims were reported to have been seriously injured. Martínez was posthumously honoured for protecting students and other teachers during the attack with the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise by the Council of Ministers following a request from the minister of education, vocational training and sports José Ignacio Wert.8 May 2015 El Gobierno concede, a título póstumo, la Gran Cruz de la Orden Civil de Alfonso X el Sabio a don Abel Martínez Oliva https://www.educacionfpydeportes.gob.es/prensa/actualidad/2015/05/20150508-abel.html 15 June 2026 Ministry of Education es Perpetrator The perpetrator was identified as a 13-year-old student of the same school. After the attack, the suspect's classmates and close friends said that he "was a withdrawn boy who had academic problems". They, along with most other people, claimed a "blacklist" which included twenty people's names who he wanted to kill, was drafted by the perpetrator. Police were not able to locate said blacklist.Bueno Jesús García Baquero Camilo S. 2015-04-21 La ballesta que usó el menor fue regalada al padre hace 20 años https://elpais.com/ccaa/2015/04/21/catalunya/1429627266_988579.html 2024-09-23 El País es 1134-6582 The perpetrator's room was searched, where various weapons were found: Three toy crossbows, two air rifles, and another machete, along with a floorplan of the institute. Aftermath The attack was noted to have occurred on 20 April, the anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The Minister of Education said that the boy was admitted and assessed at the Sant Joan de Déu hospital, where he was diagnosed with having a psychotic break.EFE 2015-04-20 El alumno de la ballesta actuó durante un "brote psicótico" https://www.levante-emv.com/sucesos/2015/04/20/alumno-ballesta-actuo-durante-brote-12629843.html 2024-09-23 Levante-EMV es According to Article 19 of the Criminal Code, being a minor (18 years in Spain) "will not be criminally responsible," however, says that in case of committing a crime, he could be liable as appropriate to the law of the minor. However, since he was under 14, the young man was exempt from responsibility.20 April 2015 ¿Tiene responsabilidad penal un menor de 14 años? https://www.levante-emv.com/sucesos/2015/04/20/responsabilidad-penal-menor-14-anos-12631879.html While the civil responsibility would usually go to his legal guardians, in this case, since the attack occurred on school grounds, the Barcelona Education Consortium was held responsible, and had to compensate victims for €1 million.2016-04-25 «Los compañeros de Max fueron los grandes olvidados» https://www.larazon.es/local/cataluna/los-companeros-de-max-fueron-los-grandes-olvidados-LO12494971/ 2024-09-23 www.larazon.es es David Jurado, the teacher who managed to talk out the perpetrator from committing further actions, later wrote a book to be privately shared with students and victims of the attack. References 2 Category:2015 in Barcelona Category:2015 murders in Spain Category:Attacks in Europe in 2015 Category:Attacks on schools in 2015 Category:Attacks on schools in Spain Category:April 2015 crimes in Europe Category:April 2015 in Spain Category:Crime in Barcelona Category:Crossbow attacks Category:High school killings in Europe Category:Knife attacks in Spain Category:Stabbing attacks in 2015 Category:Stabbing attacks in Spain Category:Murder committed by minors