A WOMAN who stabbed 18 people in a bloody rampage at Hamburg Central Station had been released from a psychiatric hospital just one day earlier, it’s been revealed.
The 39-year-old suspect, named by local media as Lydia S., launched her frenzied knife attack as commuters waited on platforms 13 and 14 during Friday evening’s rush hour.
She had a known history of mental illness and was considered a “danger to other people”, according to police sources cited by Bild.
A judge has since ordered her return to a clinic.
Dramatic footage on social media showed a woman dressed in a dark hoodie and black tracksuit bottoms, being dragged away by cops.
She was being led away from Hamburg Central Station in the aftermath of the shocking attack.
The short clip also showed a large entourage of police officers following the detained individual through the street while astonished bystanders looked on.
During the frenzy on Friday at 6:05pm local time, the woman suddenly pulled out a knife and began randomly stabbing passengers waiting for the ICE 855 train to Munich.
Police and federal officers rushed to the scene and were able to overpower and disarm the attacker before arresting her.
The brutal attack left four people critically injured, six seriously hurt, and eight others with minor wounds, according to emergency services.
The suspect is a German national known to police and has a history of mental illness, having previously spent time in a psychiatric facility, German newspaper Bild reported.
Hamburg police later confirmed in a post on X: “The person arrested is a 39-year-old woman.
“Based on the information so far, we assume that she acted alone.”
Police are continuing their investigation but say there is currently no evidence of a political motive behind the attack.
Hamburg’s fire department declared a major incident, deploying emergency doctors, paramedics, and a large-capacity ambulance to the scene.
Dramatic pictures showed several police officers and first responders securing the scene outside the station.
Some victims were treated aboard the train, while others were rushed to the hospital.
A Red Cross crisis response team was on site to support the victims’ families.
The ICE train on platform 14 was evacuated and rail services around Hamburg Central Station were partially suspended, according to local reports.
The station – located in the heart of Germany’s second-largest city – is a major hub for local, regional, and long-distance travel.
Friday’s rush hour and the start of school holidays meant it was especially crowded.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz reacted with shock, speaking to Hamburg’s mayor Peter Tschentscher on Friday evening.
His spokesman said: “His thoughts were with the victims and their families.”
The Chancellor also thanked emergency responders and offered federal support.
Deutsche Bahn said it was “deeply shocked” and extended sympathy to those injured.
It added that carrying weapons – including knives – is strictly banned on the station premises and on Hamburg’s public transport network.
It comes after two people were killed and two police officers wounded in a brutal knife attack in the Netherlands.
Emergency crews, including ambulances and trauma teams, raced to a property in Hoofddorp, near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, on Wednesday morning.
One police vehicle at the scene was left spattered with blood.
Both victims were inside the house after initial reports of a “fight”.
Police confirmed two officers were injured, but there was no immediate confirmation about the extent of their injuries.
Locals say the house, located on Fanny Blankers-Koenlaan, is known for drug and alcohol-related disturbances.
Local newspaper De Telegraaf also reported, citing multiple sources, that two people were killed in the stabbing spree.
Chilling images showed emergency vehicles lined up along the residential street in the aftermath of the deadly attack.
Meanwhile, police were urgently called to Majorca’s Palma Airport on Tuesday morning after reports of a man being stabbed in the neck in the arrivals area.
Detectives said the victim was a young Argentinian who suffered a wound a few centimetres from the artery which required several stitches.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14313701/hamburg-knifewoman-train-rampage/
