On 16 January 2025, a stabbing took place at a high school in Spišská Stará Ves, a small town in Slovakia near the border with Poland.

[8][9] The perpetrator, Samuel Straško was an 18 years old student of the high school in Spišská Stará Ves, where the stabbing took place.

[10] At the same time, he had a long history of verbal and physical attacks against female classmates and was previously expelled from high schools in Lučenec and Kežmarok for repeated violent incidencts.

[11] The most severe incident happened in late 2021, when Staško attacked a female classmate with his fists and caused her injuries, which required medical attention.

In addition to repeated outburst of aggression towards fellow students, in particularly female ones, he was known for speaking German and performing the Hitler salute during school breaks.

[7][15] The prosecutor general Maroš Žilinka stated immediately after the stabbing that the perpetrator was "not a tabula rasa", likely referring to his previous violent incidents.

[21] Anna Kromková, the principal of the high school, where the stabbing took place, blamed the parents of the perpetrator for withholding information about his prior violent conduct.

[22] Hundreds of people attended the funeral mass for the stabbed assistant school principal celebrated by the local bishop František Trstenský.

[26] In a statement, the Slovak student union said "Schools should be a place where young people grow, learn and dream of a better future.