Police say a boy stabbed and killed a 9-year-old girl in front of her classmates and teacher at an elementary school in Suriname.

A statement from Waldeck Police Station says the 12-year-old boy then tried to stab himself in the stomach and was taken to a hospital where he remains in stable condition. He has not been charged.

No motive was given.

Police say the boy had been expelled for persistent violence against other students. Authorities say the boy sneaked into the rural school on Thursday to stab the girl. The school is located about 155 miles (250 kilometers) west of the capital.

Most schools in Suriname have no security and are generally considered safe.