A knife attack left at least two dead, including a 2-year-old child, in a park in Bavaria, Germany, this Wednesday, January 22. A 28-year-old man of Afghan origin was arrested, but police continue to look for possible suspects.
A knife attack took place in a park in Aschaffenburg, a town in Bavaria in Germany, this Wednesday January 22 around 11:45 a.m. Police initially said four people were hit in the attack, including a 2-year-old child and three adults. She has since clarified that two people died, “a 41-year-old man and a 2-year-old boy”, and that “two seriously injured people are being treated in hospital”.
Less than an hour after the attack, police announced that they had arrested a suspect and taken him into custody. The person arrested is “a 28-year-old Afghan national”. THE Spiegel specifies the profile of the suspect who, according to their information, the man is called Enamullah O. and would live in a reception center for asylum seekers. “Investigators say that [le suspect] had already had psychological problems in the past” adds the newspaper.
Investigators also arrested a second person who turned out to be a witness to the scene. They then indicated that they had “no indication of other suspects”. Still, the research continues. Rail traffic was thus interrupted because a suspect allegedly tried to escape via the railway tracks.
UPDATE ASCHAFFENBURG
Beiden verstorbenen enhandelt es sich um einen 41-jährigen Mann und einen zwei Jahre alten Jungen.
Bei dem Festgenommenen handelt es sich um einen 28-jährigen Afghanischen Staatsangehörigen.#AB2201
— Polizei Unterfranken (@PolizeiUFR) January 22, 2025
The crime scene has been sealed off and police operations are still underway. After securing the scene of the attack, which took place in a large public park, a police spokesperson announced to the Spiegel. “We can rule out with almost absolute certainty the possibility of a terrorist act,” the spokesperson added. However, the motivations of the perpetrator of the attack are unknown.
Police have launched an appeal for witnesses to gather as much information as possible and announced the creation of an information portal containing videos and photos.
Live
17:04 – Details on the progress of the attack
According to the Bavarian newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, the suspect attacked a group of children who were supervised by two educators and were in Schöntal Park, located in the city center of Aschaffenburg. The deceased child would have been part of the group. The second victim who died during the attack, a 41-year-old man, allegedly intervened between the suspect and the targeted group. The other two injured who are adults could be the educators. A scenario that remains to be confirmed.
16:58 – The suspect’s psychological problems seem to be confirmed
After Spiegel, another German newspaper, the Süddeutsche Zeitung, indicates that the suspect “is considered to suffer from mental disorders and has already undergone treatment on several occasions.”
16:11 – The motivations for the attack still unknown
Investigators have not yet determined the motivations of the suspect suspected of being the perpetrator of the stabbing attack. The attack took place at a single crime scene in the park and the newspaper Spiegel which spoke with investigators suggests that “the perpetrator of the crime probably did not pass by chance in the park to attack people” . The police have launched a call for witnesses to better understand the circumstances of the attack.
16:06 – Who is the suspect arrested?
The person arrested by German police after the knife attack in Bavaria is a “28-year-old Afghan national” according to the authorities. The man’s name is Enamullah O. and he lives in a reception center for asylum seekers, according to German newspaper Spiegel. Citing investigators, the newspaper claims that the suspect has already had psychological problems in the past.