Germany Knife attack at the main station - 17 people injured
Many people are on the train tracks when a knife attack suddenly occurs: according to the fire department, 17 people were injured at Hamburg Central Station. Four of them suffered life-threatening injuries, six serious injuries and seven minor injuries in the early evening, it was reported. All of them were taken to hospital. Police arrested a woman at the scene as the suspected perpetrator. The 39-year-old German woman allowed herself to be arrested without resistance, said police spokesman Florian Abbenseth.
23.05.2025, 22:51
SDA
The police are not currently assuming any political motivation. There are no indications of this so far. "Rather, we have findings on the basis of which we are now investigating in particular whether she could have been in an exceptional mental state," explained Abbenseth. The murder knife had been seized. There are many eyewitnesses who need to be looked after. Even late in the evening, the police did not have a valid number of casualties.
Crime on a full platform
On the platform between tracks 13 and 14, a person stabbed someone indiscriminately at around 6 pm. The platform for long-distance trains was full of people at the time of the attack.
Abbenseth said that several emergency calls had been received regarding the sequence of events. The so-called Quattro patrol - one officer from the federal police, one from the state police, one from DB security and one from the Hochbahn station - arrived quickly and arrested the woman. On the question of the woman's mental health care, Abbenseth said in the evening that she was currently in police custody.
A large number of police and emergency services were deployed in the evening. The forensics team examined platform 13/14, took pictures, examined the ground with flashlights and consulted with each other.
There was an ICE train at platform 14. However, the police spokesman said: "According to what we know, the crime did not take place on this train." Travel continued at the station itself. However, a conspicuous number of police officers were walking up and down.
Busy transportation hub
With more than 500,000 travelers per day, Hamburg Central Station is one of the busiest transport hubs in Germany. On Fridays after work, the station is regularly packed with people. Friday marked the start of a week-long school vacation in Hamburg.
More knife crime despite knife ban
Knives have been banned in the area around the main station since October 1, 2023. According to the Federal Police, the transport hub was one of the most dangerous train stations in Germany in 2022. According to official figures, the situation has since improved. The number of violent incidents fell by almost a quarter (24.2 percent) to 546 last year, as the federal government announced in February in response to a question from the AfD parliamentary group. However, the number of violent crimes involving a knife almost doubled from 12 to 23 cases.
Merz on the phone with Mayor Tschentscher
Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) spoke with Hamburg's Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) about the knife attack. According to government spokesman Stefan Kornelius, Tschentscher informed Merz during the phone call about the care of the injured and the situation on the ground. Merz offered the support of the federal government.
Merz wrote on the X platform: "The news from Hamburg is shocking. My thoughts are with the victims and their families. My thanks go to all the emergency services on the ground for their rapid assistance."
Tschentscher wrote on X that the crime was shocking. He thanked the police and emergency services for their swift intervention and added: "The perpetrator is in custody. I wish the victims of the crime much strength and hope that the seriously injured will also be saved."
Deutsche Bahn expressed its "deep shock" at the knife attack. "Our thoughts and sympathy are with the injured," it said in a statement.
