Germany Knife attack at train station: no indication of political motive

Following the knife attack at Hamburg Central Station, the police are not currently assuming any political motivation. There are no indications of this so far, said police spokesman Florian Abbenseth. He continued: "Rather, we have findings on the basis of which we are now investigating in particular whether she could have been in a state of mental distress." The woman had allowed herself to be arrested without resistance. She is a 39-year-old woman.

Keystone-SDA

23.05.2025, 21:52

SDA

Act on a full platform

According to earlier police reports, a person had stabbed herself indiscriminately on the platform between tracks 13 and 14. The platform for long-distance trains was full of people at the time of the attack.

After the attack, police and emergency services were deployed in large numbers. Abbenseth said that several emergency calls were received regarding the sequence of events. The so-called Quattro patrol - four officers from the federal and state police as well as staff from DB security and the elevated railway station - were quickly on the scene.

Number of injured still unclear

The exact number of casualties was still unclear in the evening. "We have several injured people here, I don't have a valid figure yet, the number 17 has been circulating in the meantime. It is clear that there are several of these people who are said to have life-threatening injuries," explained the spokesperson.

On the question of the woman's mental health care, Abbenseth said that the 39-year-old with German citizenship was currently in police custody.

Busy transportation hub

Hamburg Central Station is one of the busiest transportation hubs in Germany. During Friday evening rush hour, it is regularly packed with people. The carrying of weapons, including knives, is prohibited at Hamburg Central Station and on local public transport in the Hanseatic city.

Deutsche Bahn expressed its "deep dismay" at the knife attack. "Our thoughts and sympathy are with the injured," it said in a statement.