KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian authorities have cited social media as the main factor behind a 14-year-old boy’s fatal stabbing of a 16-year-old female student at a school on Oct 14,

which shocked the nation

.

Selangor police said on Oct 15 the two students had no contact with each other before the stabbing, while Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim called for tighter controls on online content amid several cases of violence against girls at schools in the past few months.

“It is believed that emotional impulses and the influence of social media have been identified as factors that may have led the suspect to behave in such a manner,” Selangor police chief Shazeli Kahar told a press conference.

Meanwhile, Datuk Seri Anwar said he would instruct his ministers to consider stricter measures on the use of social media at the next Cabinet meeting.

“The responsibility, of course, goes back to parents and schools, but almost all of these issues stem from the (unchecked) use of mobile phones and social media,” he told reporters after attending the Finance Ministry’s monthly assembly on Oct 15.

The

stabbing on Oct 14

that led to the girl’s death has triggered a wave of public outrage and renewed scrutiny over safety and discipline in Malaysian schools.

Videos and eyewitness accounts described scenes of chaos as the suspect, his uniform stained with blood, walked through the school courtyard with a knife.

In one viral video, he is seen wearing black gloves, knife in hand, and calmly drinking water while walking in the courtyard.

The police arrived within 30 minutes of being alerted and detained the suspect, who is now being held until Oct 21 at the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters.

Selangor police said while the suspect had not interacted with the victim before, it is believed that he harboured romantic feelings towards the victim, who was in a different class.

“Investigations so far found that the suspect had feelings for the victim but never expressed them,” Assistant Commissioner of Police Shazeli said.

“He kept them to himself. The victim was also unaware of the suspect’s feelings.”

The police also confirmed the discovery of a handwritten note believed to be a message left by the teenage suspect.

The note, which has been circulating on social media, allegedly contained various writings, including one that reads: “This world is fake. I have already won.”

Datuk Shazeli said the note was found on the suspect during the arrest, and that the police was investigating its contents.

The killing follows a string of violent school incidents in recent months, and has sent shockwaves across the nation, underscoring the urgent need to improve student safety and mental health support in schools.

Amid public outrage, the four male students accused of being involved in the rape of a 15-year-old girl in a Melaka school 

were expelled on Oct 13

.

The four have been remanded for six days from Oct 11. According to Melaka police, the case is being investigated as gang rape, and those convicted will face a jail term of between 10 and 30 years.

In July, 13-year-old Zara Qairina, a student at a boarding school in Sabah, died after being allegedly assaulted by schoolmates, with the incident 

sparking mass protests and demands for justice

.

  • Sign up for our weekly 

    Asian Insider Malaysia Edition

    newsletter to make sense of the big stories in Malaysia.