Yesterday evening, the city of Essen, located in western Germany, was the scene of a series of machete attacks which plunged the population into horror. A man, a 41-year-old Syrian migrant, armed with a machete, injured 31 people, including two children who are currently between life and death.
Videos circulating on social networks show terrible scenes where residents desperately try to neutralize the attacker.
The attack took place in two separate locations in the city. As reported by jeanmarcmorandini.com, according to the German daily The Rheinische Postlocal authorities are also investigating two possible arson attacks linked to the attacker.
The first fire ravaged the stairwell of a residential building, trapping residents in their apartments, forced to take refuge on the balconies while waiting to be rescued by firefighters equipped with exterior ladders.
The police, who quickly arrested the suspect, have not yet determined the motivations of this man, a Syrian resident living in Essen. Investigators are trying to establish links between this individual and another tragedy that occurred the same evening, where a van violently hit two local businesses, including a grocery store.
Local authorities have expressed concern about the seriousness of these events, and a large-scale criminal investigation is underway to shed light on the circumstances and motive of these attacks. For the moment, the city is in a state of shock and the police are trying to reassure the population while strengthening patrols in the affected neighborhoods.
According to the latest medical reports, the two children seriously injured in these attacks are still fighting for their survival, while the other victims, suffering from injuries of varying severity, were transported to several hospitals in the region.
