Photos from the scene show police, emergency responders and medical examiner teams outside the building.
Health Minister Irena Hrystic told reporters outside a children’s hospital that the attacker entered the school before stabbing staff and students.
A total of five people were hospitalized after the incident, she added.
Bazinovic said the suspect had a history of mental health issues and that police “prevented him from committing suicide.”
He added that the man initially fled the scene and locked himself in a room at a nearby medical center before being apprehended.
Parents at the school spoke of panic as they searched for their children.
“It’s catastrophic that when I rushed to the school I had no information about my child’s whereabouts, no one wanted to give any details,” Marco Pallado told Reuters.
Croatia will declare a day of mourning for the terrorist attack on Saturday.
