Düsseldorf axe attack
| 2017 Düsseldorf axe attack | |
|---|---|
| Location | Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof, Düsseldorf, Germany |
| Coordinates | 51°13′13″N 6°47′35″E / 51.220226°N 6.793006°E |
| Date | 9 March 2017 21:00 (+1 CET) |
Attack type | Stabbing |
| Weapons | Axe |
| Injured | 9 |
On 9 March 2017, a suspect was detained after an axe attack that injured nine persons.[1] The attack began on a train and continued in the main train station in Düsseldorf, Germany. Although the suspect's injuries were too severe to permit investigators to question him, authorities do not see a connection to terrorism.
Attack
The assailant was aboard a train when he suddenly began attacking fellow passengers with an axe. A fellow passenger managed to push him off the train, whereupon he attempted to get back on board by kicking and beating against the door. When he was unable to force the door open, he began attacking people in the central train station.[2][3]
Suspect
The suspect, a 36-year-old man identified by authorities as being an asylum seeker from Kosovo in the former Yugoslavia, who arrived in Germany in 2009,[2][4][5] resided in Wuppertal.[6][7][8] Sources describe the attacker as being from Kosovo, a disputed territory formerly part of Yugoslavia.[9][10][11] Investigators see no indication that the suspect had a terrorist background.[11]
The attacker fled the scene, then jumped from a nearby bridge while attempting to escape capture, injuring himself when he jumped.[12] He was injured too severely to permit authorities to question him in the immediate aftermath of the attack.[13]
Police describe the attacker as a 2009 asylum seeker from Kosovo who suffers from a "psychological disorder."[2] In October 2017, the perpetrator was declared incapable by court. He is now permanently housed in a locked-ward psychiatry.[14]
Similar attacks
In the similar 2016 Würzburg train attack an asylum seeker from Afghanistan attacked 5 people on a train near Würzburg, Germany.[2][5][15][16][17]
References
- ^ "Dusseldorf attacks: Man, 80, assaulted with machete hours after nine hurt in station axe rampage by asylum-seeker". The Telegraph. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d ""Suspect in German train attack was an asylum seeker from Kosovo, officials say"". The Washington Post. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ Fredericks, Bob (9 March 2017). "'Blood everywhere' after German train station axe attack". New York Post. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ Steinbuch, Yaron (10 March 2017). "80-year-old attacked with machete hours after nearby train attack". NewYork Post. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Dusseldorf train station axe attack injures seven, man arrested: police". ABC Australia. Reuters/AP. 10 March 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Axt-Angriff am Düsseldorfer Hauptbahnhof: Mutmaßlicher Amokläufer ist 36-Jähriger aus Wuppertal". RP ONLINE (in German). Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "German police detain suspect after axe attack in Duesseldorf". Reuters. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ "Ax attack at Düsseldorf main train station, two people detained". dw.com. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ "Attaque à la hache en gare de Düsseldorf : neuf blessés" (in French). Le Parisien. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ Matthews, Alex (10 March 2017). "'He jumped out of the train and started to strike at people with an AXE': Horror in Dusseldorf as Kosovan attacker injures seven before he is caught after leaping from a bridge - but police say it's NOT terrorism". Daily Mail. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Tatverdächtiger war bereits in psychiatrischer Klinik" (in German). Rheinische Post. 10 March 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ Faiola, Anthony (9 March 2017). "At least 7 injured in ax attack at Dusseldorf train station". Washington Post. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ Henderson, Barney (10 March 2017). "Dusseldorf attacks: Man, 80, assaulted with machete hours after nine hurt in station axe rampage". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ Kannegießer, Wulf (5 October 2017). "Axt-Angreifer kommt dauerhaft in geschlossene Psychiatrie" [axe attacker to be permanently housed in lock-ward psychiatry]. RP Online (in German). Retrieved 6 December 2017.
- ^ Hall, Melanie (10 March 2017). "Dusseldorf attacks: Man, 80, assaulted with machete hours after nine hurt in station axe rampage by asylum-seeker". Daily Telegraph.
- ^ Almasy, Steve (10 March 2017). "Germany ax attack: Seven people injured at train station". CNN. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
- ^ "German police order large mall to stay closed after attack threat". Fox News. 11 March 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2017.