Syrian man detained after injuring fellow Syrians on German train

A Syrian man has been detained after attacking people on a high-speed train in southern Germany with a total of five people hurt including three other Syrians, German police said late Thursday.

The ICE express train, which was carrying 500 passengers, stopped near Strasskirchen in Lower Bavaria after passengers pulled the emergency brake.

A total of five people were injured, including the attacker himself who was armed with a hammer and an axe.

At least one passenger overpowered the man and the police who were called to the scene detained the attacker.

There are no indications Of an extremist background so far, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said in Munich.

The motive is largely unclear. According to Herrmann, the injured are a woman from Syria and her son, as well as another Syrian and a fourth person. The police had spoken of people aged 15, 24, 38 and 51.

It is also not yet clear whether the attacker and victims knew each other. “From what we know so far, he spoke to them immediately beforehand,” Herrmann explained. He assumes that he was at least aware that they were also Syrian.

The attacker was a refugee who had a residence permit in Austria and was legally in the country, Herrmann said.

The Bavarian investigating authorities were co-operating with the Austrian authorities. The man had not yet come to the attention of the authorities in Bavaria. This still had to be checked in other German federal states, Hermann said.

Little information available initially

Police divulged little information at first.

There was no immediate word on the background to or motive for the man’s behaviour.

“The investigation is still in full swing and it is important to pay attention to reliable sources,” regional police said on X.

“Speculation can both disrupt the course of the investigation and give false impressions. Further information will follow.”

The train was on its way from Hamburg to Vienna with 500 passengers on board.

The line was suspended with up to 150 emergency rescue workers and police officers responding to the incident in a major operation.

The injured were taken to nearby hospitals.

In addition to numerous rescue services and two helicopters, the Bavarian Red Cross said that counselling staff were also deployed. The aim was also to help uninjured but possibly traumatized passengers.

The national rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, expressed sympathy for those affected and their families.

“Our thoughts and sympathy are with the injured and all those who now have to come to terms with what they have experienced,” said a railway spokesman. “We wish all those affected a speedy and full recovery.”

He also thanked the emergency services for the quick arrest of the suspect.