Knife attack in Germany leaves 2 dead, including child; Afghan suspect arrested

An “act of terror” at a park in Bavaria, Germany, has left two dead, including a child, and three injured, according to officials. The suspect, an Afghan former asylum-seeker, has been arrested.

Police responded at 11:45 a.m. on Wednesday to reports of a knife attack at Schöntal Park in the city of Aschaffenburg, near Frankfurt, according to the Lower Franconia Police. A kindergarten group was in the park at the time of the incident.

The suspect, a 28-year-old Afghan national, fatally attacked a 2-year-old Moroccan child from the group with a kitchen knife, police reported. A 41-year-old passerby, who was at the scene, suffered fatal injuries while intervening to protect the children.

Three others, including a 2-year-old Syrian girl, a 72-year-old German man, and a 59-year-old kindergarten teacher, were injured in the attack, with two of them seriously wounded. However, their injuries are not considered life-threatening, according to police.

The suspect fled on foot after the crime but was apprehended shortly after by police with the help of passersby who pursued him. The kitchen knife used in the attack was confiscated.

Bavaria’s top security official, Joachim Herrmann, stated that the suspect is believed to have arrived in Germany in late 2022 and had applied for asylum, according to AP. The suspect told authorities last month that he intended to leave the country voluntarily and would seek papers from the Afghan consulate. A week later, German authorities formally closed his asylum case and instructed him to leave.

The suspect had come to the attention of authorities at least three times for acts of violence and had been sent to psychiatric treatment on each occasion. According to the Lower Franconia Police, he had a documented history of mental illness.

“This is an unbelievable act of terror in Aschaffenburg: among the dead is a small child, said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Our condolences go out to the victims and their families,”

“But that is not enough: I am tired of seeing such acts of violence happen here every few weeks—by perpetrators who actually came to us to find protection,” Olaf said. “Misunderstood tolerance is completely inappropriate here. The authorities must urgently determine why the attacker was still in Germany. The findings must be followed immediately – talking is not enough.”