A 17-year-old boy is now in a stable condition after suffering life-threatening injuries in an alleged stabbing at a Brisbane Islamic school, as a 16-year-old boy faces serious charges over the confrontation.

The alleged attack unfolded at the Islamic College of Brisbane on Acacia Road in Karawatha, in the city’s south, shortly before midday on Tuesday.

Queensland Police allege the two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, were involved in an altercation at about 11.45am.

During the confrontation, the 16-year-old allegedly stabbed the older boy multiple times with a small knife, causing injuries initially described as life-threatening.

Emergency crews treated the 17-year-old at the school before rushing him to Princess Alexandra Hospital.

He was initially reported to be fighting for his life and underwent urgent hospital treatment.

The latest available update indicates the 17-year-old is now in a stable condition.

The younger teenager allegedly fled the school on foot before police arrived.

Officers initially could not find him at the campus, but police said he was located a short time later in a vehicle on Gowan Road at Stretton.

He was taken into custody and later charged with one count of committing an act intended to maim, disfigure or disable and one count of unlawfully possessing a category M weapon.

The 16-year-old was due to appear in Richlands Children’s Court on Wednesday.

Neither teenager can be publicly identified because of their ages and the legal restrictions applying to children involved in criminal proceedings.

The allegations against the 16-year-old have not been tested in court and he is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

The incident triggered an immediate emergency response at the Islamic College of Brisbane and sent the school into lockdown.

Students have described remaining inside classrooms for about two hours while police responded to the alleged attack and searched for the younger teenager.

One student told media the stabbing was alleged to have happened in front of several primary school children.

“We were in lockdown for about two hours after that,” the student said.

The student said the situation was frightening at first before becoming calmer as the lockdown continued.

Another student expressed concern for the younger children who reportedly witnessed the confrontation.

Some students have described those children as being traumatised by what they saw.

Police have not publicly provided a detailed account of precisely where every student was positioned when the alleged stabbing occurred, but multiple reports indicate the confrontation took place in a courtyard area on the school grounds.

The college later sent students home early as a precaution.

In communication with families, the school confirmed a serious incident had occurred on campus and said there was no ongoing threat to the school community once the immediate situation had been brought under control.

The school has emphasised the welfare of students and staff and has offered support following the incident.

Counselling has also been made available to members of the school community.

The Islamic College of Brisbane said its immediate priority was supporting those affected and working with the relevant authorities.

For parents, students and teachers, the events unfolded rapidly.

Emergency services were called to the Karawatha campus just before midday following reports of an altercation between two students.

Within minutes, paramedics were treating a teenage boy with critical injuries.

A second student had allegedly left the grounds.

The college was locked down.

Police were searching the surrounding area.

And families were waiting for information about what had happened inside the school.

Queensland Police say the two boys were known to each other.

Investigators have not publicly detailed the circumstances that led to the altercation or identified a motive for the alleged stabbing.

Some students reportedly told 7NEWS they believed the weapon was a kitchen knife.

Police, however, have publicly described the alleged weapon as a “small knife”.

The distinction matters because the exact nature of the item will form part of the police investigation and court proceedings.

The charge of unlawfully possessing a category M weapon is also a specific allegation under Queensland weapons law.

Queensland’s Weapons Act and associated regulations create categories for different types of weapons and restricted items.

The precise legal classification of the alleged weapon and the evidence relied upon by police will ultimately be matters dealt with through the court process.

The more serious charge laid against the teenager uses language that can sound unusual outside a courtroom: committing an act intended to maim, disfigure or disable.

That wording comes from Queensland’s Criminal Code.

Section 317 deals with malicious acts and covers unlawful conduct carried out with specified intentions, including an intent to maim, disfigure or disable a person or to cause grievous bodily harm.

It is a serious criminal provision.

The laying of the charge is not a finding of guilt, and prosecutors will be required to prove the relevant allegations in court.

Because the accused is 16, the matter is proceeding through the children’s court system.

The court process will determine how the case develops and what evidence can ultimately be established.

Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.

They have appealed for anyone with relevant CCTV or dashcam footage from the Karawatha area to come forward.

Footage from roads surrounding the college could potentially assist investigators in reconstructing movements after the 16-year-old allegedly fled the school.

Police have said the boy was later found in a vehicle on Gowan Road in Stretton.

The road is several kilometres from the college, and investigators will be seeking to establish the full sequence of events between the alleged stabbing and the teenager being located.

Authorities have not announced any ongoing threat to the public in connection with the incident.

For the Islamic College of Brisbane community, attention has also turned to the impact on students who were on campus.

A school lockdown is designed to protect students and staff during a potential or active threat, but the experience itself can be distressing, particularly when young children know that a serious emergency is unfolding nearby.

Students who reportedly witnessed the alleged stabbing may face a different level of distress from those who remained inside classrooms and received only limited information during the lockdown.

Experts and education authorities generally recognise that children can respond differently after witnessing or being close to a traumatic event.

Some may want to talk immediately about what happened.

Others may become quiet, anxious or unusually alert.

Changes in sleep, concentration or willingness to return to a particular place can also occur after frightening experiences.

The school’s decision to offer counselling and support is therefore likely to remain important after normal classes resume.

Parents may also need clear information about what occurred, how the school responded and what arrangements are in place for students who require additional support.

The incident has attracted further attention because it came only a day after a separate alleged stabbing at a Queensland school.

On Monday, emergency services responded to Trinity Bay State High School in Manunda, Cairns, after a 15-year-old boy was allegedly stabbed in the abdomen.

Another 15-year-old boy was charged in relation to that incident.

The alleged Cairns attack and the Karawatha case are separate matters, and police have not suggested there is any connection between them.

But two serious incidents involving knives at Queensland schools within two days have inevitably raised concern among families and education communities.

The timing has placed school safety and the response to student violence under renewed scrutiny.

Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek expressed concern following the Brisbane incident and indicated support was being coordinated with the school.

The Islamic College of Brisbane is an independent school, but a serious violent incident on any school campus can require cooperation between police, emergency services, education authorities and school leadership.

The first priority is the immediate medical response and removal of any continuing danger.

That is followed by the investigation, support for witnesses and affected students, communication with families and a review of the circumstances surrounding the incident.

In the Karawatha case, the speed of the response is reflected in the timeline released publicly.

The alleged stabbing occurred at about 11.45am.

Police and paramedics attended the college.

The injured teenager was treated at the scene and transported to Princess Alexandra Hospital.

The 16-year-old, who police allege had fled on foot, was located a short time later in a vehicle at Stretton.

Charges were subsequently laid.

The 17-year-old’s condition has since improved from life-threatening to stable.

Important questions nevertheless remain unanswered.

Police have not publicly explained what triggered the altercation between the teenagers.

They have not announced a broader motive.

The full evidentiary basis for the charges has not been aired in open court.

And while students have provided accounts to the media, those accounts are not substitutes for the police investigation or evidence tested through the judicial process.

Those distinctions are particularly important in a case involving children.

Rumours can spread rapidly through school communities and social media after a serious incident.

Partial videos, messages and second-hand accounts may circulate before investigators have established a reliable timeline.

The college has urged its community to focus on verified information and the welfare of students and staff.

The school’s location and religious identity have also attracted significant public attention because the incident occurred at the Islamic College of Brisbane.

However, police have described the case as an alleged altercation between two teenage boys known to each other.

There has been no public statement from Queensland Police suggesting the alleged attack was motivated by religion or directed at the school because it is an Islamic institution.

Any attempt to attach a religious motive to the incident without evidence would go beyond the facts currently established.

The focus of the criminal investigation remains the alleged confrontation, the stabbing and the actions of the teenagers involved.

The alleged victim’s improved condition will provide some relief to the school community after initial reports that he was fighting for his life.

He had been treated at the scene for life-threatening injuries before being rushed to hospital.

Police allege he was stabbed multiple times.

The fact that he is now stable does not lessen the seriousness of the injuries initially reported or the charges brought against the younger teenager.

For the primary school students said to have witnessed the incident, the effects may also continue after the immediate police response has ended.

The school’s support arrangements will be closely watched as students return to their normal routines.

Queensland Police, meanwhile, are still gathering evidence.

Anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage that could assist investigators has been asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.

The 16-year-old’s case will proceed through the children’s court, where the allegations and evidence will be considered under Queensland law.

The identities of both teenagers will remain protected from publication.

What began as an altercation between two students at about 11.45am became a major emergency within the school grounds, leaving one teenager with life-threatening injuries, another in police custody and younger students reportedly witnessing scenes that have deeply shaken the college community.

The injured boy is now stable.

The criminal case is beginning.

And for students, families and staff at the Islamic College of Brisbane, the work of recovering from Tuesday’s events is likely to continue well beyond the end of the lockdown.