Three killed, five seriously injured in Germany knife attack

WUERZBURG: Three people were killed and five seriously injured in a knife attack in southern Germany on Friday by a 24-year-old Somali immigrant, described by officials as having been placed under compulsory psychiatric treatment in recent days.

Police stopped and arrested the attacker in the town of Wuerzburg by firing a bullet through his thigh. They said his injuries were not life-threatening.

“Three are dead and five very seriously injured,” regional Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said after arriving on the scene. “With the most seriously injured we are not sure they will survive.”

Among the three dead was a young boy and one of his parents, Main Post newspaper said.

As is standard practice in Germany, police did not release the name of the suspect.

Videos posted on social media showed a seemingly barefoot man holding a long knife being warded off by other men with chairs until police arrived. Another video appeared to show blood on the ground.

The videos matched the reported location of the attacks on and around Wuerzburg’s central Barbarossaplatz, though it was not immediately possible to confirm when they had been made.

Reuters footage from the scene showed dozens of police and emergency vehicles in attendance.