Teenager Arrested for Airsoft Gun Attack on Teacher and Classmates in Bashkortostan

Law enforcement authorities in the republic of Bashkortostan arrested a teenager after he shot his teacher with an airsoft gun and set off a firecracker at his school in the regional capital of Ufa on Tuesday. Regional police said they responded to an emergency call earlier in the day after a ninth-grader at Gymnasium No. 16 fired plastic pellets from an airsoft gun during class, striking his teacher and three students. The head of Bashkortostan, Radiy Khabirov, said no one was injured. In an interrogation video released by the regional branch of Russia’s Interior Ministry, the student, who was not identified, said he “didn’t want to inflict harm on anyone, just scare them a little.” He also said he had “fights” with teachers and the vice principal at his school before the attack. State media released images of police and National Guard officers escorting the teenager from Gymnasium No. 16. The regional branch of the Investigative Committee, Russia’s top investigative body, said it had pressed multiple criminal charges, including negligence. It did not specify who was facing charges.