Fatal attack in Würzburg: Great horror and grief after knife attack

Three dead and five seriously injured: the horror and grief after the knife attack in downtown Würzburg is great. The motive of the alleged perpetrator is still unclear – he apparently stabbed passers-by at random.

After the knife attack in downtown Würzburg, the alleged perpetrator’s motive is still unclear. Yesterday, a 24-year-old man apparently killed three people indiscriminately and seriously injured others. It is said that the investigation is still going in all directions.

In the afternoon, the investigators want to provide the public with more details. A press conference between the police and Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann is planned for 3 p.m.

Söder orders mourning flags

Prime Minister Markus Söder ordered mourning flags for Bavaria: “The events are incredible and shocking,” he said. Bavaria mourns the victims. “We fear, pray and hope with the injured and their families.” In particular, the CSU boss thanked the citizens who had tried on Friday in downtown Würzburg to catch the attacker and keep him in check: “That was a very impressive commitment.” Now the circumstances of the act and the motives would have to be clarified.

Steinmeier “shaken”

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was also “shocked”. “The perpetrator acted with extreme brutality. The rule of law holds him accountable for this inhuman act, “he explained. All of Germany mourn along with the relatives of the victims.” My thoughts are with those who have lost their neighbors. I wish the injured a speedy recovery. “He also thanked the police,” who have overpowered the perpetrator with a determined effort. “His thanks also go to the rescue workers who had taken care of the injured, the message said.

Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer was also shocked. His thoughts are with the victims and their families. “As far as we know, it is thanks to the courageous intervention of courageous men and women in Würzburg and the determined action of the police that worse things were prevented,” said Seehofer. This selfless act “at the risk of your own life deserves the highest recognition”.

On the morning after the fatal knife attack in Würzburg, one of the crime scenes remains cordoned off. People laid flowers and candles on the facade of the affected shop. The shops and cafes in the immediate vicinity were open, as eyewitnesses reported.

Perpetrator presumably mentally ill

The man had apparently attacked passers-by on Friday for no reason and was overwhelmed by the police with a shot in the leg. Now he’s in a city hospital. It is unclear whether there is already an arrest warrant and whether he can be transferred to a prison.

According to Interior Minister Herrmann, the alleged perpetrator is a 24-year-old man from Somalia who was previously mentally ill. He has lived in Würzburg since 2015, most recently he lived in a homeless shelter and had been conspicuous in recent months due to violence. Only a few days ago he was forcibly committed to a psychiatric facility.

He stabbed “a multitude” of people

In the attack in downtown Würzburg, three people were killed and several others were seriously injured on Friday. According to the police, the act took place shortly after 5 p.m. near the central Würzburg Barbarossa Square. According to Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU), the attacker stabbed “a large number” of people in the city center. Some passers-by courageously stood in the way of the attacker. “The attacker was overwhelmed after the police used firearms,” ​​said the police.

Witnesses speak of unbelievable brutality

According to a testimony, the perpetrator is said to have stabbed his victims with unbelievable brutality. According to a testimony, he is said to have shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great), as Herrmann said. A possible Islamist motive for the crime and the perpetrator’s environment would now have to be examined intensively.

On Bayerischer Rundfunk, Herrmann said there had been no evidence so far that there was a personal relationship between the perpetrator and the victims. It is still unclear what identity the victims have. A little boy is said to be among the injured, his father is said to be dead. According to the “Main Post”, Herrmann said that the majority of the victims were women, and that the perpetrators probably chose them at random.