A 39-year-old German woman has been arrested after a knife attack at Hamburg‘s main train station left at least 17 people injured, with four suffering life-threatening injuries. The incident occurred during Friday evening’s rush hour, and emergency services responded promptly.
According to Hamburg police spokesperson Florian Abbenseth, officers approached the suspect, and “the woman allowed herself to be arrested without resistance.” Abbenseth added, “We have no evidence so far that the woman may have had a political motive,” but investigators are exploring whether she may have been experiencing a psychological emergency. “Rather, we have information, based on which we now want to investigate, whether she may have been experiencing a psychological emergency,” Abbenseth said.
The suspect is believed to have acted alone and targeted passengers at the station. A spokeswoman for the Hanover federal police directorate stated that the suspect turned “against passengers” at the station. Four platforms were closed while investigations were ongoing, and railway operator Deutsche Bahn expressed its shock, saying it was “deeply shocked” by the attack.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also expressed his shock in a call with the mayor of Hamburg following the attack. This incident is the latest in a series of violent attacks in Germany, which have raised concerns about security. On Sunday, a separate stabbing incident occurred at a bar in Bielefeld, leaving four people injured. The investigation into that attack has been handed over to federal prosecutors after the arrest of a suspect from Syria.