A Somali knifeman yelled ‘Allah Akbar’ before killing three people and wounding six more in a street rampage before German police arrested him alive, according to local reports.
Police identified the suspect, who was wearing a face mask and is now being questioned in a hospital, as a 24-year-old Somali man living in Wurzburg, Germany. His life was not in danger from his gunshot wound, a spokeswoman said.
The force said multiple people had been killed and injured, but did not give details. There has been no word yet on the possible motive for the attack.
Bavaria’s top security official Joachim Herrmann confirmed five people are in a serious condition and it is ‘not certain’ if they will live.
A witness reported that the knifeman shouted ‘Allah Akbar’ before the attack, he added. But a police spokesperson said none of the suspect’s previous offences were linked to terrorism.
Videos posted on social media showed pedestrians surrounding the attacker and holding him at bay with chairs and sticks at Barbarossaplatz in Wurzburg on Friday.