Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Lizzie Dearden

Munich stabbing: One dead after man 'shouting Allahu Akbar' launches attack at railway station in German town

One person has been killed and several injured in a knife attack by a suspected Islamist at a railway station near Munich.

The suspect reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great”) as he started stabbing passers-by in the town of Grafing, to the south-east of the German city.

The attack took place at around 4.50am (3.50am BST) on Tuesday and the suspected perpetrator was arrested shortly afterwards.

Forensic investigators at the scene of a stabbing attack on a train at Grafing railway station near Munich, Germany, 10 May 2016. (AFP/Getty Images)

The suspect, a 27-year-old German man, has been named locally as Paul H, from Giessen in the state of Hesse.

A newspaper delivery worker was stabbed in the back during the "indiscriminate" assault, a firefighter told the Merkur newspaper. 

The attack started on an S-Bahn train, where the first victim was injured, before the man stabbed another person inside the station and targeted two cyclists, witnesses told local media.

A spokesperson at the Bavarian state criminal investigation office told The Independent a 50-year-old man was initially in a critical condition but died later in hospital.

Three other men aged 43, 55, and 58 were seriously injured, with one in a life-threatening condition.

A spokesperson for the state prosecutor's office confirmed that the attack was believed to have an "Islamist background" but could not give any further details.

German authorities increased the nationwide terror alert level following November's Paris attacks, increasing security at transport hubs, tourist attractions and major events.

Two railway stations in Munich were evacuated temporarily on New Year's Eve in an alert over an alleged suicide bombing plot by Isis supporters.

More than 800 German jihadists are believed to have joined the so-called Islamic State and other terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria.

Isis has also issued propaganda directed at supporters in the country, including one video calling for them to travel to Syria or wage terror attacks at home.

A German-born militant who grew up in the UK appeared in the footage and spoke about the "staged" experience in an exclusive interview with The Independent.

The video showed a jihadist calling on supporters, in German, to “pick up a big knife, go down to the streets and slaughter every infidel you encounter”.

Authorities have not confirmed any link between the attack in Grafing and Isis.

 

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.