Two people were killed and several others injured on Wednesday in a knife attack in a park in southern Germany.
Police arrested a male suspect after the incident in Aschaffenburg, located in the southeastern state of Bavaria, and local authorities confirmed there was no longer a threat to public safety.
According to the Main-Echo newspaper, the attacker was allegedly stalking a group of kindergarteners. The carers were walking with five young children in Schöntal Park. The assailant attacked the children. A two-year-old boy died and one of the nannies was injured and taken to hospital.
The attacker reportedly stabbed a two-year-old girl from Syria three times in the neck area with a kitchen knife. A 72-year-old man was also attacked and suffered multiple wounds to the chest, according to Bavarian Health Minister Judith Gerlach.
It is not yet clear whether the offence was terrorist-motivated. A police spokesman said and asked to refrain from speculation:
“The investigation into motives is ongoing.”
The suspect has been arrested. The second person initially arrested has been ruled out as a suspect. The police wrote on X:
“This is a witness. He is currently being questioned.”
The alleged assailant from Aschaffenburg has drawn attention for violent offences three times in the past. Each time he was placed in psychiatric institutions but then released again, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) said.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed condolences to the victims and their families and said it was an incredible “act of terror.”
