Saxony-Anhalt
More details expected on attack on EM party in Wolmirstedt
Police officers shot a man during an operation in Wolmirstedt, north of Magdeburg, last Friday evening. The man had previously attacked the officers. He reportedly died on the spot. Photo
© Thomas Schulz/dpa
A 27-year-old attacks several people in Wolmirstedt in Saxony-Anhalt. One person dies and three others are injured at a private European Championship party. The police will release details today.
After a 27-year-old man in Wolmirstedt in Saxony-Anhalt attacked guests at a private European Championship party and injured three of them, the police investigation is in full swing. “We are now interviewing witnesses – which can be very time-consuming in such a case,” said a police spokeswoman when asked by the German Press Agency.
According to reports, alerted officers shot the man when he attacked the police officers last Friday evening. He later died in hospital. Before the attack at the private party, he is said to have killed a 23-year-old man. This afternoon, the police will announce further details of the case at a press conference in Magdeburg.
The drama took place on Friday evening during the European Championship opening match between Germany and Scotland. The 27-year-old reportedly entered private property in a residential area and attacked several people at a garden party – according to the police with a “knife-like object”.
They had met in the courtyard, among other things, to watch the opening match of the European Championship between Germany and Scotland. The attacker seriously injured a 50-year-old woman and a 75-year-old man, and a 56-year-old man was slightly injured. It was initially unclear how many guests were at the party. According to the police, the crime occurred shortly after the football match kicked off at around 9 p.m.
Perpetrator allegedly stabbed man before attack on European Championship party
Before the attack at the garden party, the man from Afghanistan is said to have attacked and injured a 23-year-old in an apartment building in a prefab housing estate not far away. According to police, the victim, also an Afghan national, died of his injuries that evening.
The motive was still unclear several hours after the crime. According to “Bild”, the two men had got into an argument. There was no indication of a religious background, the police said on Saturday. According to media reports, the murder weapon was a knife.
According to police, the 27-year-old is said to have wandered “aimlessly” through Wolmirstedt after the fatal attack. As the “Magdeburger Volksstimme” reports, the attacker also threatened people with a knife in an allotment garden.
As is usual in cases where police use firearms, an investigation has been launched against the police officers who shot him. Local residents witnessed the events. According to a police spokeswoman, those affected are also receiving psychological support.
There was also great dismay beyond the city limits of Wolmirstedt. Saxony-Anhalt’s Interior Minister had announced that police presence in the state would be increased following the incident. “Extensive and concentrated” investigations were underway into the attack in Wolmirstedt, said the CDU politician.