World

News in Brief

At least 17 people injured in Hamburg knife attack

Police said a 39-year-old German woman was detained at the station after stabbing people on a platform.

Two police officers standing behind red 'polizei' tape in Hamburg city

Authorities said four people suffered life-threatening injuries in the attack. Source: AAP / Steven Hutchings/AP

Seventeen people have been injured in a knife attack at the central train station in the northern German city of Hamburg.

Emergency services said four of them suffered life-threatening injuries in the incident, while six others were seriously injured.

Officials said that another seven people were injured on the platform.

Woman detained after knife attack

Police said a 39-year-old German woman was detained at the station after stabbing people on platform 13/14 about 6pm.

The station in downtown Hamburg, Germany's second-biggest city, is a major hub for local, regional and long-distance trains.
Police said a 39-year-old woman was arrested at the scene without putting up resistance and that they believe after watching video footage that she acted alone.

They secured a knife.

Motive not clear, police say

There was no immediate indication of any political motive and investigators were looking into whether the suspect may have been mentally ill, police spokesman Florian Abbenseth said.

A high-speed ICE train with its doors open was still at the platform hours after the attack but Abbenseth said that it was not a crime scene.

Railway operator Deutsche Bahn said it was "deeply shocked" by the attack.

Four tracks at the station were closed Friday evening, and some long-distance trains were delayed or diverted.
A ban on carrying knives has been in place at the station since October 2023, with another ban on knives on public transport having taken effect in December 2024.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's office said the German leader was appalled by the news and told Hamburg mayor Peter Tschentscher in a call on Friday evening that "my thoughts are with the victims and their relatives".

Germany suffered a number of attacks in public places in the run-up to parliamentary elections in February.


For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.

Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
At least 17 people injured in Hamburg knife attack | SBS News