Knife attacker kills two on German train before capture
At least two people were killed and seven wounded in a knife attack on a regional train in northern Germany in which fellow passengers overpowered the alleged assailant, police said.
The stabbings occurred on a train travelling between the cities of Hamburg and Kiel, a police spokesman said, adding that three of the wounded had serious injuries.
The 33-year-old suspect, a stateless man of Palestinian origin, was detained at the railway station in the town of Brokstedt and treated in hospital for minor injuries.
"Witnesses were able to restrain the suspect immediately after the attack until police arrived at the station in Brokstedt," police said in a statement.
The spokesman said the investigation into a motive was focused on "all directions" including possible extremism or psychological problems on the part of the assailant.
The daily Bild said the suspect had wounds on both hands when he was detained.
Germany's national rail company Deutsche Bahn said some trains on the line between Hamburg and Kiel had been cancelled to allow police to conduct their investigation.
Germany has been hit by several deadly knife attacks in recent years, some carried out by extremists and others by people suffering serious psychological problems.
A German court in December sentenced a Syrian-born Islamist to 14 years in prison for a knife attack on a train in which he injured four passengers.
