Dusseldorf station attack: 'Several injured' after man goes on axe rampage
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Anti-terror police have sealed off Dusseldorf station in Germany after reports of an attack involving a man armed with an axe.
"Several people" are believed to have been injured and images posted on social media showed paramedics treating the wounded.
Two suspects are believed to have been detained by police but the motive for the attack is currently unknown.
Trains are not stopping at the station.
The attack comes months after a terrorist attack on a Christmas market in Berlin killed 12 and injured 56 more after a lorry was driven into crowds of shoppers.
Dusseldorf station attack: 'Several injured' after man goes on axe rampage | The Independent
Suspects 'on the run' after several injured in axe attack at Dusseldorf train station
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Several people have been injured in an axe attack at Dusseldorf train station.
Police spokesman Rainer Kerstiens told The Associated Press that more suspected attackers are believed to be on the run.
The station has been sealed off by armed police and trains are not stopping at the station.
German newspaper Bild reported that two suspect has been taken into custody, while two others were on the run.
Four people were apparently injured in the attack.
Bruno Macedo tweeted: "Breaking: Man with axe chased by police in Dusseldorf. Station closed . I am in the train things look bad #police #terror"
He added: "Stay away from #Dusseldorf train station crazy man with #axe on the lose (sic)"
The Dusseldorf attack comes less than three months after a lorry was driven into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12.
More to follow.
Suspects 'on the run' after several injured in axe attack at Dusseldorf train station
Dusseldorf Train Station Axe Attack: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
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A man with an axe attacked several people at the main train station in Dusseldorf, Germany, on Thursday, authorities and witnesses say.
It is not known how many people were injured.
This is a breaking story and will be updated. Here is what we know so far:
1. A Suspect Was Taken Into Custody at the Train Station by Police
The suspect was taken into custody at the train station, the German newspaper Bild reports.
His identity has not yet been released.
Police said there is no evidence of any other suspects, according to Bild, which previously reported a second man had been taken into custody and two others were being sought.
2. Police Haven’t Released a Motive for the Attack
Police have not yet released a motive for the attack. It is has also not yet been called terrorism.
According to Bild, the suspect randomly attacked four or five people with the axe.
The Rheinische Post reports a 13-year-old girl was among those injured. A witness told the newspaper he helped treat the girl’s wound and get her to her father.
The newspaper also reports a 20-year-old man suffered a head injury and was pulled onto a train by friends to escape the attacker.
3. Trains Are Not Stopping at the Station & Witnesses Reported a Large Police Presence
Passengers on trains tweeted that they were not stopping at the Dusseldorf station because of the incident.
A video from the scene shows blood on the ground and emergency responders appearing to give treatment to a victim:
Witnesses said there was a large police presence at the station, and reported chaos when the attack occurred.
A police helicopter was circling above the station and witnesses said there were anti-terror police at the scene among the heavily armed officers.
4. A Man With an Axe Was Fatally Shot After Attacking 4 People on a German Train Last Year
Five people were injured on July 18, 2016, when a man with an axe attacked passengers on a train in Wuerzburg in Southern Germany, according to the BBC.
The attacker, an asylum seeker from Pakistan named Muhammed Riyad, was fatally shot by police.
Police said Riyad left behind a martyrdom video and was instructed to carry out the attack by ISIS.
5. German Authorities Have Been on High Alert After Multiple Terror Attacks
German authorities have been on high alert for possible terrorist activity in recent years after a series of deadly attacks in the country, including the Wuerzburg train attack.
In December, 12 people were killed and 48 were injured in an ISIS-inspired truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin. In July 2016, a suicide bomber detonated an explosive outside a wine bar in Ansbach. Twelve people were injured, but the bomber was the only person killed.
Dusseldorf Axe Attack: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com
Suspect in German train attack was an asylum seeker from Kosovo
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BERLIN — The suspect in an ax attack at a German train station that wounded nine people Thursday was a mentally disturbed asylum seeker from Kosovo, officials said Friday. They said there was no indication of any political or religious motive for the attack.
German police swarmed the main train station in Düsseldorf around 9 p.m. Thursday after a man on a commuter train began striking exiting passengers with an ax, officials said.
The suspect in the attack was identified in the German news outlet Spiegel Online as 36-year-old Fatmir H. On Friday, police found a doctor’s diagnosis inside the suspect’s apartment, some 20 miles away in the city of Wuppertal, as well as medication indicating that he was paranoid schizophrenic, according to Dietmar Kneib of the North Rhine-Westphalia state criminal police.
The suspect was being treated at a hospital for severe injuries suffered after he jumped off a bridge to try to escape police. Of the nine victims, four suffered serious injuries, though none were in critical condition, officials said.
“Apparently it was a psychological disorder of the perpetrator that led to the deed,” Kneib said.
There were no indications of terrorism-related motives, Kneib said. But the bloody rampage nevertheless marked the latest act of violence by an asylum seeker to rock Germany. The nation has suffered a series of attacks in recent months, including an assault on a Christmas market in December that left 12 dead. Islamist militants who entered Germany masquerading as migrants have committed some of the attacks, but Thursday’s incident also punctuated concerns over violence not related to terrorism.
The suspect was not part of the wave of more than 1 million migrants who have arrived in Germany over the past two years, officials said. He arrived in 2009 and was granted a residence permit on humanitarian grounds
The attack occurred as a commuter train pulled into Düsseldorf central station shortly before 9 p.m. local time. The attacker suddenly started to hit passengers with an ax from behind, officials said. One of the passengers managed to push the attacker off the train, and the conductor closed the door, preventing potential further injuries, officials said.
According to police, the attacker tried to get back into the train by beating and kicking the door. When he was unsuccessful, he began walking up and down the platform and downstairs into the main hall. When police officers approached, the man fled across the tracks. The chase ended with the attacker jumping off a nearby bridge.
The suspect’s brother, who knew about his mental issues and that he had recently bought an ax, had reported him missing the day of the attack, authorities said. Police said Friday that they have not been able to question the suspect because of his injuries.
Among the victims was a 13-year-old girl who suffered severe arm injuries and two Italian tourists. Besides the girl, the other victims are between 30 and 50 years of age, officials said.
More than 500 officers were involved in the police operation, including special forces.
An amateur video apparently shot from the scene showed a shellshocked eyewitness walking around bloodstained floors as police tend to a wounded person on the ground.
“The guy just started striking at people with an ax,” the unidentified man in the video says. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my life. Directly next to me he started hitting people with an ax.”
Noack reported from London. Stephanie Kircher in Berlin contributed to this report.
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Eighty-year-old man is attacked with a machete in second violent incident
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An 80-year-old man has been attacked with a machete in a car park, near a forest in Dusseldorf, just hours after a Kosovan went on an axe rampage in the city's railway station.
According to police, the man's injuries are not life threatening and the attack is not connected to last night's attack on Dusseldorf station.
Dusseldorf machete attack on man hours after axe rampage | Daily Mail Online
Hamburg tear gas attack - Children left with burning eyes & breathing problems
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TWO YOUNG children were treated for burning eyes and breathing problems after a tear gas attack on a packed train in Hamburg this evening.
A police operation has been launched in Hamburg after suspicious fumes were detected
Two "youths" have fled the scene after spraying the toxic substance in a carriage carrying around 50 people.
Several people, including two children aged three and six, were hurt and treated by first responders.
The children suffered respiratory and eye problems - although their injuries are not thought to be serious.
One photo showed a paramedic consoling an upset children with a balloon fashioned from a first aid glove.
Four adults have also been injured. Their injuries are also not thought to be lasting.
The train was headed towards Hamburg Airport when the incident occurred.
Police are now hunting down the pair who carried out the attack.
According to witnesses a large police and fire service presence remains at the scene around an hour after the incident.
The incident at an underground metro stop in the Sternschanze quarter of the city in Germany.
It comes just one day after several people were injured after a man from Kosovo went on a rampage at a train staiton in Dusseldorf.
He attempted to flee but was arrested as he attempted to jump from a ledge. He was described by police as suffering from a mental illness.
This is a breaking story. More to follow...
'Suspicious fumes' at Hamburg metro station sparks police operation | World | News | Express.co.uk