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Photographs from the scene show police officers, ambulance staff and forensic teams outside the building.
Health Minister Irena Hrstic told reporters outside a children’s hospital that the attacker had entered the school before stabbing staff and pupils.
A total of five people were hospitalised following the incident, she added.
Bozinovic said the suspect had a history of mental health issues and that the police had “stopped him from committing suicide”.
He added the man initially fled the scene and locked himself inside a room at a nearby health centre, before being detained.
Parents at the school spoke of panic as they searched for their children.
“It’s disastrous that when I rushed into the school, I had no information regarding my child’s whereabouts, no one was willing to provide any details,” Marko Palada told Reuters.
Croatia will observe a day of mourning on Saturday because of the attack.
