Khabirov Slams School Security, Reveals Teen Had Knife

Radiy Khabirov, the head of Bashkiria, personally arrived at Gymnasium No. 16, where a school shooting occurred today, February 3. The politician gave the first detailed account of what happened, revealing shocking new details and issuing an ultimatum to the school administration.

Speaking at the scene, the head of Bashkiria stated that the teenager had a knife and a toy assault rifle, and while the metal detector went off, the security guard did not react. The main grounds for dismissing the principal could be bullying—if confirmed.

“If we find evidence of bullying, we’ll sweep out the entire administration”

Khabirov said the fate of the school’s administration depends directly on the results of an investigation into bullying.

“Give us time to look into it, and we will make the appropriate decisions. My position is this: if we find evidence of bullying, we will sweep out the entire school administration,” he told journalists.

He also urged people to set aside emotions and investigate thoroughly, noting that the teenager comes from a complete family and that motives could range from problems at home to unrequited love.

“A plastic toy gun from a children«s store and a knife”: How security was bypassed

The most unexpected part of Khabirov’s comments was his description of the “weapon.” According to him, it was a children«s plastic assault rifle “sold not even in sporting goods stores, but in children’s stores,” which fires plastic bullets and cannot cause serious harm. The teenager said the rifle belonged to his younger brother.

The key failure, according to Khabirov, occurred at the security stage: the metal detector detected the knife, unlike the plastic gun. However, the private security company (ChOP) guards “were not attentive enough” because “all children have something metal,” and the signal was ignored.

“The first line of defense failed,” the regional head stated.

At the same time, the school’s internal alert system functioned, he said: the alarm was raised in time, teachers barricaded classrooms, and an armed Rosgvardia (National Guard) unit arrived within 10 minutes and detained the teenager without resistance.

What does it all mean?

If the investigation proves that the teenager was bullied for a long time and the school administration ignored it, the principal and vice principals will be fired. This is an unprecedentedly tough stance, shifting the problem from the realm of security to that of the psychological climate.

Even if there was no bullying, the question of physical security remains. The private security company that failed to respond to the activated detector, and the administration responsible for its operation, are already at the center of a scandal.

Thus, an incident that initially seemed like an “unsuccessful” attack with a toy weapon has turned into a serious systemic failure. Two key elements of the school system have come under suspicion: the human factor (combating bullying) and the technical factor (actual security performance). Khabirov’s decision will show which of these causes will ultimately be deemed the main one.

Read the full live coverage of events here. For expert opinions on the weapon, read here.