Police arrest Syrian after woman knifed to death
July 24, 2016
The knife-wielding attacker sparked panic after killing a woman near a Turkish fast-food kiosk in downtown Reutlingen, German mass-circulation newspaper "Bild" reported Sunday.
Five people were reportedly wounded in the attack and brought to the hospital. Two women, ages 51 and 54-years-old, suffered head wounds while another 51-year-old sustained a forearm injury. Another woman and a man were also hospitalized for shock.
A car driver spotted the attacker running away from the scene and hit him with his vehicle, allowing police to grab hold of the suspect and make an arrest, according to a police spokesman cited by the DPA news agency.
Police stated that the suspect is a 21-year-old male refugee from Syria, who is known to authorities for previous acts of violence. The suspect suffered serious injuries and will undergo police questioning after receiving medical treatment.
Reporter and photographer Sascha Baumann tweeted that the victim's body was found on a side street.
The alleged perpetrator was reported to have been arguing with the deceased woman, belived to have been aged 45 and from Poland, before attacking her.
Authorities believe the man acted alone.
Thomas Strobl, interior minister for the German state of Baden-Württemberg, praised security forces for their quick response.
"Thank God the police were immediately able to capture the suspect, neutralizing any danger," he said.
Local police said they currently had "no indication" that the attack was in fact a terror strike and are still looking for a motive.
"When a man and woman have an argument, we assume that we are dealing with a crime of passion," a local police spokeswoman told the DPA news agency.
Germany is on edge following a deadly shooting spree in Munich two days ago, and a separate stabbing rampage on a Bavarian train last week. In both cases, attackers were teenagers with Muslim backgrounds.
The train attack was allegedly carried out by an Afghan refugee who had pledged alliance to "Islamic State."
However, Friday's shooting appeared not be motivated by political ideology, with the German-Iranian attacker having a history of mental illness, according to German officials.