Two people were killed when a man stabbed a number of people on a train in northern Germany on Wednesday afternoon.
Germany’s Federal Police force said the man used a knife to attack several passengers shortly before the regional train traveling from Kiel to Hamburg arrived at Brokstedt station.
Police spokesman Juergen Henningsen said two of the stabbed people died after the attack, which happened around 3pm local time.
Three people were severely injured and four others suffered minor injuries.
A suspect was detained and arrested. They were also injured and were taken to hospital, police said.
Police did not provide any information on the suspect’s identity other than saying he was between 20 to 30 years old.
They said his possible motives were under investigation.
No details were given about the identity of the victims.
Police said they were first alerted to the incident shortly before 3pm local time when several passengers on the train made emergency calls to police.
Officers said the train was stopped and the suspect was detained outside the train.
German interior minister Nancy Faeser expressed shock about the brutal attack.
“The knife attack in a regional train is shocking news,” she said. All our thoughts are with the victims of this terrible act and their families,” she said.
“The background to the crime is now being investigated at full speed.
“I would like to sincerely thank the police and rescue workers who responded.”
Regional police and the federal police were on the scene and the prosecutor’s office was investigating the attack, German public broadcaster NDR reported.
There were about 120 passengers on the train at the time of the attack, dpa reported.
About 70 of them were questioned by police in a nearby restaurant after the incident.
Several forensic teams were also on the scene and investigators in white protective overalls worked near the tracks and the train station.
Others walked across the platform with cameras, next to which the regional train in which the attack took place was stopped.
The train station in Brokstedt was closed for several hours and train traffic was delayed across northern Germany.
Train operator Deutsche Bahn expressed its condolences on Wednesday evening, saying that “our deepest sympathy goes to the relatives of the victims. We wish those injured a speedy and complete recovery”.
