Three passengers overpowered a man charging train passengers with a knife in Berlin, Germany on Friday, authorities said.
The Iraq-born suspect stabbed and wounded five people “randomly and arbitrarily” on a train traveling to the western city, Aachen, state interior minister Herbert Reul said, according to the Associated Press (AP). Authorities were investigating a possible extremist motive behind the attack, which is still under investigation.
Police said the wounded victims were all treated at local hospitals and face no life threatening injuries, AP reported.
When the stabbing began, three passengers, one being a 31-year-old police officer, overpowered the suspect, the outlet reported. The train had 270 passengers at the time of the incident. Reul said the attack was “a gruesome crime that was stopped in an enormous act of courage,” according to AP.
Three passengers on a train in Germany overpowered an Iraq-born man who wounded five people with a knife, authorities said. Officials say the man attacked fellow passengers when the train was near the city of Aachen. The motive was being investigated. https://t.co/7oPs0eIkU9
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 13, 2022
The state interior commissioner also said the suspect had been known to authorities, according to AP. (RELATED: Three Stabbed At NYC Subway Station)
In September 2021, New Zealand authorities shot and killed an ISIS terrorist after he stabbed 6 people in a grocery store. Witnesses of the incident said the deceased suspect shouted “Allahu akbar” before starting the stabbing spree.
Train stabbing became commonplace around the world in the past year, particularly in New York City subways. In August 2021, a man went on a stabbing spree injuring at least nine on a Tokyo commuter train, followed by authorities catching the suspect as he exited a convenience store.
A stabbing on a New York City subway killed a 32-year-old man in November after the suspect stabbed him in the neck, authorities said. A surge in felonies aboard public transit increased by an estimated 25% toward the end of 2021.