Multiple People Injured in Germany After Man Slashes Train Passengers
Several people were injured in Germany after an axe- and knife-wielding man went on slashing spree on a train Monday before being shot to death by police, officials said.
Authorities familiar with the situation told the DPA news agency that a man in the southern German town of Wuerzburg attacked passengers on a regional train in Bavaria with “blunt and slashing,” according to Fox News. They said several people may have sustained life-threatening injuries.
The attacker reportedly yelled “Allahu Akbar,” which means “God is great.”
In a statement on their Facebook page, Wuerzberg police said three of the victims suffered critical injuries while one was only slightly injured. An additional 14 people were being treated for shock.
Fabien Hench, a spokesman for German police, told Sky News the attacker was fatally shot by law enforcement officers as he attempted to flee the scene. The report was backed up by Bavarian Interior Ministry, which confirmed that police did shoot and kill the suspect.
Police indicated they were not yet sure what motivated the attack and did not know anything about the suspect, either. The attacked train was on its way from Treuchtlingen, a Bavarian town, to Wuerzberg, which is approximately 60 miles northwest of Nuremberg.
The assault comes amid heightened security in Europe and just days after the deadly attack in Nice, France, on the country’s Independence Day. The truck driver, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, plowed through a crowd of Bastille Day revelers, leaving 84 dead.
