After a knife attack on a regional train from Kiel to Hamburg, the identity of the two dead has been clarified. It was a 16-year-old teenager and a 19-year-old man, said Schleswig-Holstein Interior Minister Sabine Sütterlin-Waack (CDU) before the start of a state parliament session.
According to the Itzehoe public prosecutor’s office, there is no evidence of a terrorist background to the crime, which, according to initial findings, also injured seven people. The alleged perpetrator, who was overpowered by witnesses, was also injured. According to the police, the two fatalities, who came from Schleswig-Holstein, knew each other.
On Wednesday afternoon, a man stabbed several passengers while driving. At that time, around 120 people were sitting in the regional train. According to the information, the perpetrator is a 33-year-old stateless Palestinian.
Germany considers people who do not have any citizenship other than Palestinian citizenship to be stateless. Like the majority of EU states, the Federal Republic of Germany does not recognize the Palestinian territories as an independent state. This does not mean, however, that all Palestinians are stateless in principle; they can, for example, have a Jordanian or Israeli passport.
The alleged perpetrator was in prison until recently
The 33-year-old is expected to appear before a magistrate on Thursday. The accused is no longer receiving medical treatment but is in police custody, the police said. The background to the crime is still unknown. Brokstedt’s alleged perpetrator was still in a Hamburg correctional facility (JVA) until recently. The reason was a bodily harm, said the police department in Itzehoe. According to dpa information, the man was housed in the Hamburg JVA Billwerder.
According to the police, there was no video surveillance in the regional train. Police have set up a phone number for witnesses and are asking passengers on the train who have not yet spoken to police to call 49 4821 602 2002.
The parliament in Kiel began its session with a minute’s silence for the victims of the attack. When asked about a motive for the crime, the interior minister said: “We are working flat out to collect all the facts.” There will be more information at a press conference scheduled for 2 p.m.
Serious stab wounds resulted in the death of two victims
Sütterlin-Waack thanked the “courageous, even heroic efforts of some fellow passengers” on the regional express. She not only mentioned the many helpers, but also the employees of the local bakery, who provided emergency services and travelers with hot drinks and baked goods free of charge. “What would we be without you.”
According to a police spokeswoman, both victims suffered severe stab wounds that led to their death. The criminal police were able to secure the stabbing weapon of the perpetrator. She did not initially give any details.
Hamburg Archbishop Stefan Hess called for prayers for the victims and those affected by the Brokstedt train attack. “I have asked all congregations in Schleswig-Holstein to pray especially for those affected during the services in the coming days,” he said. The crime put an entire country in deep sadness and bewilderment.
Research services of the Bundestag on stateless Palestinians
