German minister 'stunned' after murder of teacher

German Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger on Wednesday expressed shock at the fatal stabbing of a teacher, allegedly by a pupil, the previous day, reported dpa.

"The violent death of the teacher leaves us stunned. We must do everything we can to better protect teachers from violence," the minister told the t-online news website.

It was unacceptable that teachers were regularly insulted, threatened and attacked, Stark-Watzinger added.

The 17-year-old suspect had visited the 55-year-old teacher, who was alone, at a vocational college in the western town of Ibbenbüren in the afternoon, investigators said.

Later, after the teacher had been attacked, he called the police himself and allowed himself to be arrested without resistance.

The motive for the deadly attack is still unclear.

The autopsy on the teacher's body is set to take place on Wednesday at the earliest, a police spokesperson said. The suspect may also be brought before a judge on Wednesday.

Four years ago, students in the city of Dortmund planned to kill a teacher after they received poor grades. They did not carry out their murder plot, in part because the teacher became suspicious.

Another pupil is currently standing trial in Düsseldorf for allegedly planning a pipe-bomb attack on teachers and pupils at his school in Essen.