Thailand: shooting and hostage-taking of 300 students in a school in Hat Yai

A gunman injured two people by gunfire in a school and took more than 300 students hostage in Hat Yai district on February 11, 2026.

He was then shot and arrested by the police.

An armed attack at a school in Hat Yai

Rescue forces and police deployed in front of a school in Hat Yai after a shooting and hostage-taking involving students.

The incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. at Phatong Prathankhiriwat School, in the Phatong sub-district.

The police have identified the suspect as Khemanan Kescharoen, 18, a resident of Hat Yai.

Investigators said that before the school attack, officers from Thung Lung police station had responded to a call reporting that an 18-year-old man had allegedly attempted to assault his mother in a house near the school.

As the officers tried to calm the situation, the suspect allegedly seized an M4 rifle belonging to the police and fled into the school grounds.

He allegedly approached the security post and attempted to shoot a security guard, but the weapon malfunctioned, allowing the guard to escape.

The suspect then allegedly forced students to take him to the school principal and fired two shots, injuring the principal.

The police then evacuated the injured principal to the hospital.

His health condition has not been disclosed.

Authorities said more than 300 students were being held inside a school building at one point during the confrontation.

Police intervention and arrest of the suspect

Police officers secure the surroundings of Phatong Prathankhiriwat school in Hat Yai on February 11, 2026, following the hostage-taking.

The Hat Yai police, special forces agents and rescuers cordoned off the area and evacuated people to safe zones while negotiators were deployed.

During the confrontation, the suspect allegedly fired intermittently and used a megaphone to warn the police not to enter.

Around 6:30 p.m., the police shot the suspect, injuring him, and took him into custody.

The authorities stated that the situation was under control and that all students had been evacuated safely.

The motive for the attack remains uncertain, although local media suggest that the suspect had a dispute with a teacher at the school.

Gun violence, a recurring phenomenon in Thailand

Police and rescue workers after a shooting that killed six people at Or Tor Kor market, in Chatuchak district, Bangkok, on Monday, July 28, 2025.

The rate of firearm-related crime is relatively high in Thailand, where the possession of firearms, both legal and illegal, is very common.

The country has experienced several deadly incidents in recent years.

Last year, six people, including the gunman, were killed in a shooting at a food market in Bangkok.

See: Thailand: he kills five people over a scratch on his car, then commits suicide

In 2023, a 14-year-old boy killed three people and injured five others in a shooting at a luxury shopping center in central Bangkok.

See: A shooting in a Thai mall leaves two dead

A year earlier, a former police officer had killed 37 people, mostly children, at a nursery in northeastern Thailand, in one of the country's deadliest shootings.

See: A former policeman shot 37 people, including 23 children, at a nursery in Thailand

See also:

Thailand: a shooting sprees panic on Khao San Road in Bangkok

Thailand: a shooting in Pattaya revives tourist concerns

Bomb attacks and shootings shake southern Thailand: 3 dead

Bloody Saturday in Thailand: 5 deadly shootings reported by the media

The perpetrator of the latest mass shooting in Thailand has been released by justice

Source: Khaosod English, BBC