Gunman detained after shots fired at southern Thai school; hostages freed

An 18-year-old gunman who fired shots inside a school in Thailand’s southern Hat Yai district on Wednesday has been detained and all hostages freed, police said.The suspect entered Patongprathankiriwat School in Songkhla province armed with a firearm, according to the provincial administration.“The perpetrator has been captured,” deputy superintendent Wichian Soboon told Reuters.At least three people were injured in the incident, another police official said. Authorities did not immediately provide details on the condition of the injured or a possible motive.Gun ownership is relatively common in Thailand, which has seen several high-profile mass shootings in recent years. In 2022, a former police officer killed 36 people, including 22 children, in a gun-and-knife attack at a nursery in eastern Thailand.