Teenager in hospital with life-threatening injuries after stabbing at Australian school

A 17-year-old boy is fighting for his life after being stabbed by a teenager at a high school in Brisbane, Australia. The Queensland Police have said that a 16-year-old boy stabbed the survivor with a small knife during an altercation at the Islamic College of Brisbane in Karawatha at about 11.45am local time on Tuesday. The teen was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, the officials said. The suspect allegedly fled the scene on foot after stabbing the 17-year-old. He was charged with one count of intending to maim and disfigure and another count of unlawfully possessing a weapon. Law enforcement shut the school for about two hours as the police searched for the suspect, who was later located in a car about 10 minutes away. A spokesperson for the school said the institution briefly went into lockdown after staff called emergency services to report the incident. “After the situation was contained, students and staff were sent home,” the spokesperson said. “The school is working with authorities, and counselling and support services are available for all school community members should they require them. A staff at the school claimed that the immediate priority has been the "safety and well-being of everyone involved". “The incident will be deeply concerning for our families and broader community," the staff was quoted by 9News as saying. While the motive of the attack was unclear, police said both the survivor and the suspect knew each other. However, students at the school claimed that the pair were “not friends”. “They were opps. And opps are enemies of each other,” a student told 9News. Ziana Ali, who was picking up her son, said she had received an email informing parents that an incident had occurred and students were being dismissed early. "I sped right here just to pick them up, because I'd had no idea what happened," she told Australia Broadcasting Corporation. "There was no way to contact [my son], I'm like, 'What if this is my child?' "I just had no idea. Really scared.” The police have appealed for anyone with relevant information, or CCTV or dashcam footage from the Karawatha area, to come forward. Tariq Ismail, the director of education at the school, said that the institution was cooperating fully with Queensland Police. Education minister John-Paul Langbroek said his thoughts are with the victim, their friends and family. "I have been in contact with the Islamic College of Brisbane to offer my support, while the police investigation continues," he said. A spokesperson for Princess Alexandra Hospital said the 17-year-old survivor was in a stable condition and receiving treatment at the intensive care unit. The suspect will be brought before the court on Wednesday. It is the second alleged stabbing at a Queensland school this week. Police charged a 15-year-old boy for stabbing another teenager at the Cairns school in Kanimbla, far north Queensland, on Monday.