A 29-year-old man is said to have shot passers-by with a crossbow at the Peine train station. The shots hit a 22-year-old, according to the Lower Saxony police. The victim was taken to a hospital and the injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The alleged perpetrator was therefore arrested.
According to current knowledge, he is said to suffer from previous mental illnesses. Because of his clothing and his overall appearance, a right-wing motivation cannot be ruled out, police said.
Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD) said in a statement that indications of a xenophobic background to the crime were being investigated. “Now it’s time to investigate in all directions and to clarify the background of this cowardly act.”
Police: Suspect quickly overpowered
It was thanks to the determined intervention of the emergency services that there were no more victims, said the minister. The police officers on site could have overpowered the perpetrator just a few minutes after receiving the first emergency call.
The first emergency calls to the police came in just before 1 p.m. The police and the federal police responsible for train stations then pulled together. “We were able to react quickly,” said a police spokesman. The alleged perpetrator also had a large knife with him. Rail traffic was temporarily suspended.
The 29-year-old suspect comes from the Peine district. Because of the large number of videos circulating on the Internet, the police set up an information portal.
