Germany Woman stabs bus passengers in Siegen - six injured
After a knife attack on a bus in Siegen, North Rhine-Westphalia, the police are continuing their investigation.
31.08.2024, 04:56
31.08.2024, 04:57
SDA
The bus on a special line was supposed to take more than 40 passengers to a city festival on Friday when a woman suddenly stabbed people with a knife. At least six were injured - three of them critically. According to the police, a 32-year-old suspect was arrested shortly afterwards. "This act has left us all absolutely stunned", said Siegen mayor Steffen Mues in a statement.
The city festival will nevertheless go ahead on Saturday. According to the city, the organizers are basing their decision on the "police's knowledge of the situation". According to the police, there is currently no further danger.
Three injured people no longer in hospital
Two of the six injured had already been discharged from hospital during the night. One woman had also discharged herself, a police spokesperson told the German Press Agency. The spokesman did not wish to comment on the exact condition of the injured. According to the police, they are said to have been between 16 and 30 years old and all come from the Siegen-Wittgenstein district.
According to the police, 36 passengers were cared for in a hall during the night. Both emergency pastoral workers and the fire department and police were on site. The people who were on the bus at the time of the attack are being questioned. Relatives were also in the hall. According to the police, there were over 40 adults on the bus, as well as two or three children who had been picked up by their mother.
City festival to continue
Despite the attack, the city of Siegen did not want to cancel its city festival. It will continue on Saturday at 11.00 a.m. with an ecumenical service on the Schlossplatz, it said in a statement that night.
Following the incident in Siegen, Mayor Mues spoke to eyewitnesses at the scene and thanked the first responders, emergency services and emergency chaplains, it added.
Laura Kraft, Member of the Bundestag for Siegen-Wittgenstein, also wished the injured on Platform X a "speedy recovery and a lot of strength to the relatives and those affected in these hours." This incident casts a "shadow over the celebrations" in Siegen.
Background to the crime unclear
"We are securing evidence at the scene and interviewing witnesses," said a police spokesperson on Saturday night. The background to the crime and the exact sequence of events were initially unclear. However, the 32-year-old is known to the police. According to dpa information, there are indications that the woman was mentally ill. The police initially had "no indications of a political or religious motive for the crime." The investigation is still ongoing.
Memories of the Solingen attack
The crime is reminiscent of the attack in Solingen on Friday a week ago. On Friday evening, a man apparently stabbed bystanders at random at an anniversary celebration to mark the 650th anniversary of the founding of the city of Solingen. He then escaped in the commotion and initial panic. Two men aged 67 and 56 and a 56-year-old woman died. Eight people were injured, four of them seriously. The alleged perpetrator is in custody.
