After a knife attack on a regional train in northern Germany, the identity of the two dead has been clarified. It is a 16-year-old teenager and a 19-year-old man, Schleswig-Holstein Interior Minister Sabine Sütterlin-Waack (CDU) said on Thursday. According to the Public Ministry of Itzehoe, there is no evidence of terrorist antecedents in the crime, which, according to initial investigations, also injured seven people.
The alleged attacker, who was overpowered by witnesses, was also injured. According to police, the two fatalities, who came from the state of Schleswig-Holstein, knew each other.
On Wednesday afternoon, a man stabbed several passengers while driving from Kiel to Hamburg shortly before stopping at Brokstedt station. At that time, about 120 people were sitting on the regional train. According to the information, the author of the crime is a 33-year-old stateless Palestinian. Germany considers people who have no citizenship other than Palestinian citizenship to be stateless. Like most EU states, the Federal Republic of Germany does not recognize the Palestinian territories as an independent state. This does not mean, however, that all Palestinians are stateless in principle; they may, for example, have a Jordanian or Israeli passport.
The accused is presented before a judge
The 33-year-old is due to appear before a magistrate on Thursday. The accused is no longer receiving medical treatment but is in police custody, police said. The background to the crime is still unknown. The alleged perpetrator of Brokstedt was until recently in a Hamburg correctional institution (JVA). The reason was bodily injury, the police department in Itzehoe said. According to dpa information, the man was staying at the Hamburg JVA Billwerder.
Asked about the motive for the crime, the interior minister said: “We are working hard to collect all the facts.” Sütterlin-Waack thanked the “courageous and even heroic efforts of some fellow travelers” on the regional express. Not only did she mention the many helpers, but also the local bakery staff, who provided emergency services and travelers with free hot drinks and baked goods.
According to a police spokesman, the two fatal victims suffered serious stab wounds that led to death. The Judiciary Police managed to seize the firearm of the perpetrator of the crime. Initially, she did not give details.
According to the police, there was no video surveillance on the regional train. Police have provided a telephone number for witnesses and are asking train passengers who have not yet spoken to police to call +49 4821 602 2002.
The state parliament in Kiel began its session on Thursday with a minute’s silence for the victims of the attack. Hamburg Archbishop Stefan Hess asked for prayers for the victims and those affected by the train attack. (apa)