4 children killed in stabbing attack at day care center in Uganda

Four children were killed after a man armed with knives attacked a day care center in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, according to police. The suspect was arrested at the scene.

The attack happened at about 11 a.m. Thursday at Ggaba Early Childhood Development Program in Ggaba, a neighborhood in the southern part of Kampala, when police responded to a distress call about a person attacking children at the facility, according to the Uganda Police Force.

Police identified the suspect as 39-year-old Okello Christopher Onyum, who was arrested at the scene. Officials are working to establish a motive and examine his background.

The four children who were killed were all pupils at the same day care center. They were three 2-year-olds and one 3-year-old, including three boys and one girl.

Uganda Observer reported that the attacker had visited the school two days earlier seeking admission for his child and returned on Thursday. The newspaper said he paid admission fees, appeared to leave, then turned back toward a seesaw where children were playing and began stabbing them.

The report said 14 children were at the playground when the attack happened and that the suspect was carrying three knives. It was not immediately clear whether any other children were injured.

Police also said officers, backed by the army, fired into the air to disperse an angry crowd that had gathered after the attack and was demanding that the suspect be handed over for mob justice, according to Uganda Observer.