Weapons Engraved with "Seung-Hui Cho" and "Adam Lanza" Seized
Police: "Perpetrator Appears Influenced by Online Content"
Investigating Possibility That Unrequited Feelings Led to the Crime
An incident occurred at a middle school in Malaysia in which a female student died after being stabbed by a male student from the same school. The weapon used by the perpetrator had the names of mass shooters engraved on it, including Seung-Hui Cho, who killed 32 people in a mass shooting at Virginia Tech in the United States in 2007.
Recently, Singaporean media outlet Must Share News reported, "The murder weapon used in a homicide at a school in Selangor, Malaysia, was found to have the names of notorious American school shooters engraved on it."
On October 14 (local time), a 14-year-old male student at a middle school in Selangor, Malaysia, stabbed a 16-year-old female student from the same school more than 200 times, resulting in her death.
Local police seized three weapons used by the suspect at the scene. Of these, two had the names "Adam Lanza" and "Seung-Hui Cho" engraved on them, respectively.
One weapon bore the words "Sandy Hook 2012" and "Adam Lanza," referring to the perpetrator who killed 26 people, including 20 children, in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the United States in 2012. Another weapon was engraved with "Seung-Hui Cho," which is believed to refer to the shooter who killed 32 people at Virginia Tech in 2007.
A female student was stabbed to death by a male student at a middle school in Malaysia, and the victim's funeral is being held. Photo by The Star Malaysia YouTube
The victim's mother told local media in an interview, "More than 200 stab wounds were found on my daughter's body," adding, "The wounds were mainly concentrated on the right side of her upper body and thigh." She also said, "My daughter locked herself in a bathroom stall, but the perpetrator climbed over the partition to attack her and escaped the same way. By the time teachers broke down the door and entered, she was already unconscious."
The victim's father expressed his anger, saying, "I cannot understand how it was so easy to bring such weapons into the school."
Local Police Investigating Motive... "Possible Influence of Games and Social Media"
Local police are investigating whether video games and certain social networking service (SNS) content may have influenced the crime.
According to Malaysian media outlet The Star, on October 16, Selangor Police Chief Shazeli Kahar stated, "It appears that the suspect was influenced by online content before committing the crime," adding, "We are reviewing all social media platforms to determine which in particular had an impact. Video games may be among them."
During the investigation, a handwritten note left by the perpetrator was found to contain terms used in gaming and internet culture, such as "Zero Day" and "NPC (Non-Playable Character)." "Zero Day" is interpreted as meaning "the day of the attack."
Police investigations revealed that the perpetrator had feelings for the victim, but they were in different classes and had no direct interaction prior to the incident. Police are also considering the possibility that the crime was committed because the perpetrator's one-sided feelings were not reciprocated.
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