Break-in at Rimaskoli leaves extensive damage and raises concerns in Iceland

A break-in at Rimaskoli resulted in significant damage to the school’s premises early this morning. The school’s principal, Thoranna Rosa Olafsdottir, received a call just before 4:30 AM alerting her to a severe situation at the school. When she arrived, security and police were already on-site.

The construction workshop was completely destroyed, and windows on the second floor were smashed. It appears that the intruders used a chair to break one window and hammers to shatter others, leaving the tools scattered throughout the school. The presence of a strong cannabis odor suggests that the suspects may have been under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident.

Police received a report of the vandalism overnight and spotted several individuals fleeing the scene, but were unable to catch them. The authorities believe the perpetrators were likely underage teenagers, possibly from eighth to tenth grade.

In response to the incident, Olafsdottir has prioritized securing the school environment—removing glass shards, boarding up windows, and assessing the extent of the damages. She noted that there has been an ongoing struggle for funding to install security cameras at the school, which has faced a rise in risky behaviors among youths, including violence and substance abuse, particularly noticeable during the summer months.

Olafsdottir emphasized the need for community involvement, urging anyone with information that could help address such issues to come forward, allowing the school and local authorities to assist affected individuals effectively.