A terrible act of violence occurs in Aschaffenburg: several people are attacked with a stabbing weapon in a park. For two of them, any help comes too late. A child is also among the fatalities. According to the police, an Afghan suspect was arrested.
Two people were killed in an attack on a children’s card group in a park in Aschaffenburg, Franconia. The victims are a 41-year-old and a two-year-old boy from Morocco, Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said. The man was therefore fatally injured when he stood in the way of the attacker. A two-year-old girl from Syria and a 61-year-old were injured in the attack. The attacker was arrested shortly after the attack. Herrmann spoke of a sudden and targeted attack.
According to the CSU minister, the knife attacker was receiving psychiatric treatment and was due to leave Germany. The 28-year-old Afghan was noticed at least three times in the past for acts of violence, was given psychiatric treatment and released again. His care was ordered in December.
The man entered Germany in mid-November 2022. He announced his voluntary departure in writing around a month and a half ago. His asylum procedure was then stopped and he was asked to leave the country.
It is currently unclear whether the crime was motivated by terrorism. “Investigations have begun into the motive,” said a police spokesman and asked that no speculation be made. According to dpa, the man was last registered in an asylum accommodation in the region. Suspicion was ruled out in the case of a second person who was initially arrested. It is a witness. “This is currently being questioned,” the police wrote on X.
Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder expressed his dismay on X and spoke of a “horrible day” for all of Bavaria. “The terrible news from Aschaffenburg deeply affects us. We mourn the victims of a cowardly and vile act. We mourn a small, innocent child who was fatally injured. We mourn a helper who paid for his moral courage with his own life has,” said Söder.
-Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is also shocked: “My thoughts and my deepest sympathy are with the parents of the child who was killed, for whom there could be no more terrible news. My deepest sympathy also goes out to the family of the man who lost his life as a result of this brutal act I wish with all my heart that those who were seriously injured can recover.” Feaser says her heartfelt thanks go to the police and emergency services.
Attempted escape over train tracks
Because the suspect is said to have tried to escape over the railway tracks, rail traffic in Aschaffenburg was stopped. According to the railway, trains to and from Aschaffenburg were initially held back. It was initially impossible to predict how big the impact would be on regional and long-distance transport.
Aschaffenburg has around 70,000 inhabitants and is located in the Bavarian administrative region of Lower Franconia, near the state border with Hesse. The park called Schöntal is located in the city center. The police are there from time to time with foot patrols, as another police spokesman said. This may be one of the reasons why the suspicious person was caught quickly. Whether witnesses helped the crime is currently being clarified. According to the city, the historical park in the English garden style is just over nine hectares in size.
After the violent act, the police asked for help from possible witnesses. “We are currently preparing a portal with which you can send us your relevant pictures and videos,” said the Lower Franconia police headquarters on X. The link should be published soon. Eyewitnesses to the incident should also call the police emergency number 110 or a police station.
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