A woman attacked several passengers with a knife on a bus in Siegen. Five people were injured, three of them are in critical condition.
A woman attacked five people with a knife on a bus in Siegen on Friday evening, seriously injuring them. This is what the Dortmund police reported. Three people are in critical condition after the attack, one person was seriously injured and one person was slightly injured. The R22 bus was on its way from Neunkirchen to the town festival in Siegen, it is reported. It is still unclear whether there are children among the injured, a spokesman for the Dortmund police told t-online.
At least 40 passengers were in the vehicle at the time of the attack. According to the press release, the incident occurred at around 7:40 p.m. – and exactly one week after a knife attack in Solingen. At the local town festival, Issa al-Hassan, a Syrian refugee, killed three people with a knife and injured eight others, some seriously. Investigators believe it was an Islamist attack.
According to the current status, the police do not believe that the attack in Siegen was a terrorist attack; there are “zero indications” of such an attack, the police spokesman told t-online. The 32-year-old woman was arrested without resistance and, according to investigators, there is no further danger. According to the police spokesman, the woman is a German citizen. She is currently in police custody.
According to the “Siegener Zeitung”, there is concrete evidence that the woman was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The “Bild” newspaper also writes, citing its own information, that the woman could be mentally ill and have been under the influence of drugs.
When asked by t-online, the police could not confirm this. The “overall psychological impression” will be checked on Saturday morning, the police spokesman said. Both the “Siegener Zeitung” and the “Spiegel” report that the woman is known to the police for drug-related offenses.
Evidence is currently being secured and witnesses are being questioned. “We ask citizens not to spread false reports on social networks or other channels,” wrote the Dortmund police. This refers in particular to speculation that this was a terrorist attack.
Eyewitnesses reported to the “Siegener Zeitung” about terrible scenes that are said to have taken place on the bus. A lot of blood is said to have been shed. According to the newspaper, children and young people also witnessed the crime. According to a police spokesman, the passengers are currently receiving psychological care in a nearby event hall.
According to the newspaper, District Administrator Andreas Müller arrived at the crime scene in Siegen-Eiserfeld. In an interview with the “Siegener Zeitung” newspaper, he said he was “shocked” by the events – especially since it affected people who were out celebrating, he said. The town festival has not yet been cancelled.
Stephan Boch, spokesman for the Westfalen-Süd transport company, told the “Siegener Zeitung” that the driver on the shuttle bus “reacted with presence of mind”. After the first commotion in the vehicle, he immediately brought the bus to a stop and opened the doors. This allowed the passengers to escape quickly, it is said. “We train our drivers for such scenarios,” Boch told the newspaper. The experienced bus driver may have been able to prevent something even worse, it continues.
