Patient with knife attacks medical staff at Russian hospital, leaving two women critically injured

A patient armed with a knife and a gas canister attacked medical staff at a hospital in the Siberian city of Irkutsk on Thursday morning, according to Governor Igor Kobzev.

The hospital’s deputy chief physician and a secretary were hospitalized in serious condition. Police arrested the attacker at the scene.

The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case on charges of attempted murder of two or more people. Investigators noted that both victims are women.

The Interior Ministry later released a video showing the suspect lying on the floor with his face blurred. In the footage, he says, “I wanted to kill the doctor. I’ve been deprived of my right to life under the Constitution and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”

The Telegram channel Baza identified the suspect as a 59-year-old man named Alexey. According to the channel Babr Mash, he had repeatedly visited the hospital to file complaints. Baza, citing hospital staff, reported that he had been threatening doctors for about a year and was registered at a psychiatric clinic. Staff say he once tried to attack them before, but that time a special police unit intervened and he was placed under involuntary treatment.