Saarland
Man injured with knife in train – suspect in custody
Forensic investigators have cordoned off a compartment of a regional train: A 21-year-old man was injured in a knife attack in Saarland. Photo
© Thorsten Kremers/dpa
A man is said to have seriously injured a passenger on a regional train with a knife. This could also have political consequences.
After the knife attack on a regional train in The suspected perpetrator must be remanded in custody in Saarland. The 32-year-old is being investigated on suspicion of attempted murder in conjunction with dangerous bodily harm, according to the Saarbrücken public prosecutor’s office. The man will be taken to the Saarbrücken correctional facility for remand. The investigation is ongoing.
The 32-year-old is suspected of having suddenly attacked a 21-year-old man with a knife on a regional train and seriously, but not critically, injured him. The 21-year-old had been stabbed in the neck area. Federal police officers reportedly provided him with first aid. He was then taken to a hospital and underwent surgery.
Victim and perpetrator apparently did not know each other
The suspected murder weapon was found at the station after the incident. Video footage from the regional train was also analyzed, said the Federal Police spokeswoman. According to current information, the victim and the suspected perpetrator did not know each other. They were sitting opposite each other in a group of four on the train.
The attack occurred shortly before the train stopped at Saarbrücken Central Station. When the train stopped, the suspect fled. He was searched for for about two hours with the help of federal and state police officers – then he turned himself in, said the spokeswoman.
Political initiative against knife attacks
Saarland’s Interior Minister Reinhold Jost (SPD) announced that Saarland would not only agree to an initiative by the state of Lower Saxony in the Bundesrat on Friday, but would also join it. “Because we believe it is right that we must advocate for stricter regulation of the use of weapons and knives in public through an amendment to the gun law,” said Jost.
The proposed measures included a general ban on switchblades, an extension of the ban on carrying knives with fixed blades over six centimetres in length and a general ban on knives as defined by the Weapons Act in all public transport vehicles and in train stations, unless they are carried in locked containers. In addition, the state government will introduce a legal ordinance to establish weapon and knife ban zones in Saarland.
Union calls for more permanent positions
The police union (GdP) called on Tuesday for more posts to be made available for federal police officers to ensure greater security at train stations and the railway network. The fact that the area around the main station could be cordoned off on a large scale was made possible by the federal and state police officers who were already deployed for the European Football Championship. “It was only because all operational forces were banned from taking vacation before and during the European Championship that the necessary presence could be guaranteed,” the union said in its statement.