Germany mass stabbing suspect has ‘psychological illness': police

The woman has 'very clear indications of a psychological illness,' police saidShe was subdued by two passersby and law enforcement officers BERLIN: A German woman accused of a mass stabbing attack that wounded 18 people at a train station in Hamburg suffers from mental illness, police said Saturday.The suspect, a 39-year-old woman, is accused of going on a stabbing spree on Friday at the main station in Hamburg, stunning the northern city in the middle of the evening rush hour.The woman has 'very clear indications of a psychological illness,' police said in a statement, without giving further details on her condition.They added there were no signs she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the attack, which left four victims seriously wounded.The woman was subdued by two passersby and law enforcement officers, then taken into custody at the scene without resisting arrest, police said.She was due to appear before a judge later Saturday.Police say they have ruled out a 'political motive' for the attack and believe the suspect acted alone.The victims range in age from 19 to 85.The four in serious condition were a 24-year-old man and three women, aged 24, 52 and 85, police said.Emergency officials initially said their wounds were life-threatening, but police say all the victims now appear to be out of immediate danger.The attack took place just after 6:00 p.m. (1600 GMT) Friday on one of the platforms in front of a standing train, German media reported.The suspect was thought to have turned 'against passengers' at the station, a spokeswoman for the Hanover federal police directorate, which also covers Hamburg, told AFP.Some of the victims were treated onboard waiting trains in the station, German daily Bild reported.Images of the scene showed access to the platforms at one end of the station blocked off by police and people being loaded into waiting ambulances.Forensic police could also be seen walking up and down the platforms where the attack took place.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his shock in a call with the mayor of Hamburg.'My thoughts are with the victims and their families,' Merz said, according to a readout from a spokesman.Germany has been rocked in recent months by a series of violent attacks with often jihadist or far-right extremist motivations that have put security at the top of the agenda.The most recent, on Sunday, saw four people injured in a stabbing at a bar in the city of Bielefeld.The investigation into that attack has been handed over to federal prosecutors after the Syrian suspect told the police officers who arrested him that he had jihadist beliefs.The question of security — and the immigrant origin of some of the attackers — was a major topic during Germany's recent election campaign.Merz's conservative CDU/CSU topped the February vote, which also saw a record score of more than 20 percent for the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD).Last year, Germany toughened its legislation on carrying knives, now banned at public gatherings and on long-distance trains.They are also banned in specific zones in some cities, including at Hamburg's train station.But experts and police unions have previously questioned whether such bans are effective.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Asharq Al-Awsat

an hour ago

• Asharq Al-Awsat

Muslim World League Condemns Terrorist Attack on Church in Syrian Capital

The Muslim World League (MWL) condemned the terrorist attack that targeted a church in the Syrian capital, Damascus, resulting in several deaths and injuries. In a statement issued by its General Secretariat, the MWL reaffirmed its firm stance rejecting all forms and justifications of violence and terrorism, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday. The MWL also expressed sympathy with the families of the victims and full solidarity with the Syrian people in the face of all threats to their security and stability. It further extended its sincere condolences to the Syrian Arab Republic—government and people—and to the families of the victims of this heinous crime, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.

Arab News

2 days ago

• Arab News

Attempts to traffic drugs in Jazan foiled

Saudi authorities have arrested two Ethiopians for violating border security regulations and attempting to traffic amphetamines in Jazan. Also in the province, authorities thwarted an attempt to smuggle 67,500 pills subject to medical circulation regulation. Initial regulatory procedures were carried out, and the confiscated items were transferred to the appropriate entities. Elsewhere, Saudi officials in the Eastern Region apprehended a citizen involved in the sale of amphetamine pills and prescription-controlled substances. The individual has been arrested, and appropriate legal measures have been taken against him. Citizens and residents are urged to report any information about drug smuggling or related activities. Reports can be made by contacting emergency numbers (911) in Makkah, Riyadh, and the Eastern regions, or (999) and (994) in other regions of the Kingdom. Additionally, reports can be submitted to the General Directorate of Narcotics Control hotline (995) or via email.

Al Arabiya

3 days ago

• Al Arabiya

An adviser to an ex-Ukrainian president is killed near an American school in Spain, officials say

An adviser to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was shot to death Wednesday outside the American School of Madrid where at least one of his children was enrolled, Spanish authorities and witnesses said. Andrii Portnov, 51, was shot at 9:15 a.m. (0715 GMT) as students were arriving, Spain's Interior Ministry said. Portnov was a former politician tied closely to Yanukovych, the pro-Moscow president of Ukraine from 2010 until he was ousted in a popular uprising in 2014 after shelving plans to bring the country closer to the European Union and instead deepen ties with President Vladimir Putin's Russia. Yanukovych's ouster in February 2014 followed a brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters, with dozens of people killed, many by police snipers. Portnov was deputy head of the presidential office in that period and was involved in drafting legislation aimed at punishing participants of the uprising. Ukrainian authorities opened a treason case against him, which was later closed, and he also was the subject of US sanctions involving corruption in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on Portnov's killing. Witnesses said Portnov was shot several times in the head and body by more than one gunman when he was getting into a Mercedes Benz registered to him, police said. The unidentified assailants then fled on foot, and local media reported police helicopters later flew over a nearby park. Portnov died in the parking lot with at least three shots to his body, Madrid's emergency services said. He had one child enrolled at the school, according to a parent and an uncle of students there who spoke with The Associated Press. The school declined to comment. After fleeing Ukraine in 2014, Portnov reportedly lived in Russia in 2015 before relocating to Austria. It wasn't immediately clear when he moved to Spain. In 2018, when pro-Western Petro Poroshenko was president of Ukraine, the country's Security Service, or SBU, opened an investigation against Portnov on suspicion of state treason, alleging his involvement in Russia's illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. The criminal case was closed in 2019, three months after Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to power. The United States imposed personal sanctions on Portnov in 2021, designating him as someone 'responsible for or complicit in, or (who) has directly or indirectly engaged in, corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery.' Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, there have been a number of killings of high-profile figures linked to Moscow and Kyiv. The killings have included Darya Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian nationalist; military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky; and several high-ranking Russian military officers. In those instances, Ukraine denied involvement. One exception was former Ukrainian lawmaker Illia Kyva, who fled to Russia before the invasion and was killed there in 2023. The SBU said in a statement that its chief, Vasyl Maliuk, has said 'the enemies of Ukraine will definitely be held accountable for their crimes.' One killing that prompted speculation of retaliation by Moscow was the shooting death in Spain last year of Russian pilot Maxim Kuzminov, who defected to Ukraine in 2023, although there was no independent confirmation of Russia's involvement. Police cordoned off a crime scene in a parking lot outside the gate of the American School of Madrid, located in the upscale town of Pozuelo de Alarcón, north of Madrid. Luis Rayo, 19, who lives in a neighboring building, said he was sleeping when he heard gunfire and went to see what happened. One student who is in 11th grade said he was 20 minutes into his first class when he and his classmates heard of the shooting. School administrators told students that a man had been shot and pronounced dead outside. 'I thought it was a drill,' he said. 'I was worried because at first I thought it might be a parent of someone I know.' His mother, who is originally from Azerbaijan, said she knew someone through the emigré community with the same first name as the victim but did not know him well. 'I didn't know there were Ukrainian politicians there,' she said, adding that the man she knew had a son in the fourth grade. 'I was in shock. Like how is it possible that this happens here?'