A man apparently randomly attacked passers-by in downtown Würzburg and killed several people. According to the police, other people were also injured. According to information from the German Press Agency, there are three dead and five injured.
Apparently several passers-by gathered to stop the man until the police arrived. That is what videos on social media suggest. Investigators are initially reluctant to provide precise information. The background to the attack in the middle of the city center is still unclear. Much of the area has been cordoned off.
The alleged perpetrator was overwhelmed and arrested. The police had to shoot for it, and he was injured in the process. How difficult, a police spokeswoman couldn’t say. It was reportedly a shot in the leg. The perpetrator is apparently a 24-year-old who lives in Würzburg.
There is no longer any danger to the population, said the spokeswoman. Areas around Barbarossaplatz are closed. A dpa reporter on site reported that there were a lot of ambulances and numerous police vehicles in the streets. The police called witnesses to report. She tells everyone else to leave the area. The police also ask not to post videos or pictures on social networks. “Please respect the privacy of the victims!” It says on Twitter. Shortly after the event, the first videos were posted on social networks that were supposed to show what was happening.
Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann is on his way to Würzburg after the knife attack. He will get an idea of the situation at the crime scene, said a spokesman for the CSU politician. Herrmann wants to comment on the incident this evening. Prime Minister Markus Söder describes the news of the dead and injured as appalling and shocking. “We mourn with the victims and their families,” the CSU boss wrote on Twitter and added: “We fear and hope for the injured.”