Anutin says Nonthaburi school attack appeared planned

Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said preliminary information suggested the 14-year-old involved in the Debsirin Nonthaburi School shooting had been under sustained academic pressure, while the sequence of events indicated that the attacks may have been planned in advance.

Anutin made the comments after visiting the school on Friday (August 7) and joining a situation-monitoring meeting following the attack, which left teachers dead and others injured.

He said information received by authorities indicated that the student had been under pressure over his studies. His grandmother, a former teacher, had high expectations and was strict about his education, while a close friend told police that the student had repeatedly spoken about the pressure he felt.

“From the circumstances, it is believed that there had been thorough preparation, with the events planned in stages and clear targets,” Anutin said.

Police have not established the final motive, and Anutin said investigators and forensic officers should be allowed to examine the evidence carefully before conclusions were drawn.

Police examine sequence from home to school

Anutin said investigators believed the student’s grandparents had died at their home before the school shooting.

Authorities discovered the two deaths after officers later searched the residence. The firearm involved in the incidents was legally registered to the grandfather, according to the prime minister.

Anutin said the sequence strengthened investigators’ belief that the events had been prepared before the student left home.

He put the total number of deaths linked to the incidents at eight: the two grandparents, five teachers and the student involved. More than 30 people had been reported injured, with about nine seriously hurt and requiring close medical monitoring at Phranangklao Hospital and Phramongkutklao Hospital.

The casualty figure was the prime minister’s update at the time of the briefing and remained subject to confirmation as authorities continued assessing those affected.

Online claims remain unverified

Anutin urged caution over information circulating on social media about whether the student had watched footage of overseas school shootings or previously practised using a firearm.

He said he had received no confirmed report supporting those claims and that investigators still needed to establish the facts.

The prime minister also said the student still had ammunition remaining during the school incident, raising concern among authorities that further casualties could have occurred had the situation continued.

Anutin said police action was not responsible for the student’s subsequent death. He said ending the immediate threat prevented the situation from escalating further.

Government plans tighter firearms enforcement

Anutin said he had discussed preventive measures with national police chief Pol Gen Kitrat Phanphet following the attack.

He said existing law restricts members of the public who have no official duty from carrying firearms outside their homes or in public places.

Police will be instructed to step up checks and enforcement against unlawful carrying of firearms, he said.

The government, Justice Ministry and other agencies also have measures and funds available to assist injured people and the families of those who died, according to Anutin.

He said authorities would provide support to those affected and review the incident to strengthen security at schools and other public places.

The investigation into the motive and the detailed sequence of events remains with police and forensic officers.