In a shocking development, three people were murdered and five people were seriously injured in an unexpected knife attack that took place in southern Germany on Friday by a 24-year-old Somali immigrant, as reported by officials as having been placed under compulsory psychiatric treatment recently.
Police halted and detained the attacker in Wuerzburg by shooting him through his thigh. The officials reported that his injuries were not life-threatening and all they did was to capture the wrongdoer.
“Three are dead and five very seriously injured,” regional Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann added arriving on the scene. “With the most seriously injured we are not sure that they will survive.”
It is said that the man lived in Wuerzburg since 2015. It was the year when Germany opened its borders to more than a million migrants and refugees escaping war and poverty. His life was not in real danger, and he was being interrogated by police in hospital, Herrmann added.
“His condition had been noticed in recent months, including violent tendencies, and a few days ago he was put into compulsory psychiatric treatment,” Herrmann said.
Later, he told public television that, as per one witness, the suspect said “Allahu akbar”, an Arabic term meaning “God is great”. This particular phrase is often linked with acts of Islamist terrorism before beginning his spree.
The deceased were identified as a young boy and one of his parents, the Main Post newspaper added. The police didn’t reveal the name of the suspect as it is a common practice in Germany. Police also said that the situation was now under control.