German police have confirmed that a woman accused of injuring 18 people in a mass stabbing at Hamburg’s main train station is suffering from mental health issues.
The 39-year-old woman launched an attack on Friday evening during rush hour, targeting passengers on a platform beside a stationary train. Police said there are “very clear indications” the suspect is mentally unwell, though no further details were provided.
Authorities ruled out any political motive and confirmed the suspect was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the attack. She is believed to have acted alone.
Four of the injured, including a 24-year-old man and three women aged 24, 52, and 85, were initially reported to be in life-threatening condition. Police have since said that all victims now appear to be out of immediate danger.
The woman was restrained by two bystanders before officers arrived to arrest her without incident. She was expected to appear before a judge on Saturday.
The violence unfolded shortly after 6:00 pm local time (1600 GMT), creating chaos at one of Germany’s busiest transport hubs. Emergency responders treated some of the wounded inside train carriages. Images from the scene showed parts of the station cordoned off, with forensic teams examining the platform area.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed his condolences to the victims and their families during a call with Hamburg’s mayor, calling the incident “shocking”.
The stabbing has heightened concerns about public safety in Germany, which has faced a spate of violent attacks in recent months. While many recent cases have had extremist or ideological links, Friday’s attack appears unrelated to any such motive.
Just days earlier, four people were stabbed at a bar in Bielefeld. That suspect, a Syrian national who claimed jihadist beliefs, is now the subject of a federal terrorism investigation.
Public safety and knife crime have become major political issues in Germany, particularly in light of February’s elections in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) made significant gains.
Germany recently tightened its knife laws, banning them at public events and on long-distance trains. In cities like Hamburg, designated zones such as main train stations also fall under the restrictions — though critics question how effective these laws are in preventing attacks.
