Over a Dozen Wounded in Horrific German Bus Attack By Erin Shortall
July 20, 2018 at 10:31am
A knife attack on a German bus Friday afternoon left at least 14 people injured. The Telegraph reported that the stabbings occurred in the northern city of Lübeck, Germany, by a suspect believed to be in his mid-30s.
Police spokesman Duerk Duerbrook said the attack happened 40 miles northeast of Hamburg, in the Kücknitz district of Lübeck.
According to Duerbrook, the bus was headed to the popular beach of Travemuende, when the suspect suddenly pulled out a kitchen knife.
The bus driver pulled the vehicle to a halt, allowing the citizens on-board to escape as quickly as possible, according to the local newspaper, Lübecker Nachrichten.
A police crew was reportedly nearby and were able to apprehend the suspect and arrest him.
One witness, identified only as Lothar H, lived near the scene and reported what he saw.
“The passengers jumped out of the bus and were screaming,” he said. “It was terrible. Then the injured were brought out. The perpetrator had a kitchen knife.”
Duerbook said police are still trying to figure out the circumstances of the attack.
“One of the victims had just given up his place to an older woman, when the attacker stabbed him in the chest,” another witness said, according to Reuters.
“He dropped a backpack, pulled out his weapon, and started his bloody assault on the passengers. His backpack was reportedly smoldering as he attempted to flee the scene. The pack was cleared by local authorities as the suspect was taken into custody,” The Daily Caller reported, citing Lübecker Nachrichten. The local police force kept citizens up-to-date along the way:
“There has #lübeck #kücknitz been an incident in a bus. People were injured. No one was killed. The offender could be overwhelmed and is in police custody. We continue to be on site and continue to report here,” the tweet stated.
Police said they have not ruled out terrorism as the motive.
“Nothing can be ruled out, including a terrorist background,” State Prosecutor Ulla Hingst said.
Later, the police force tweeted more about the suspect:
“The identity of the offender is clarified: a 34-year-old German citizen residing in #Lübeck. There are currently no indications of a political radicalization of Man + no signs of a terrorist background whatsoever. #Kücknitz,” the tweet reads.