A 34-year-old Syrian-origin, Dutch passport-holding migrant was taken into custody on Wednesday after allegedly stabbing a four-year-old girl inside a supermarket in the southern German city of Wangen im Allgäu.
According to an eyewitness statement provided to police, the incident occurred around 3 p.m. at a Norma grocery store on Zeppelinstrasse. The suspect approached the young victim, who was shopping with her mother, and suddenly stabbed her with a knife.
Emergency crews were called to the scene and transported the critically injured child to a hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery. Authorities have confirmed that her condition has since been stabilized.
As reported by a local news outlet citing the police, the suspect was disarmed by a bystander who restrained the attacker and called the police.
“He took the knife away from the man and then chased him,” a police spokeswoman said. “The witness called the police and told us where the man was. That’s how my colleagues were able to arrest him.”
A 34-year-old Syrian man with a Dutch passport was taken into custody on Wednesday after allegedly stabbing a 4-year-old girl inside a supermarket in the southern German city of Wangen im Allgäu, authorities said.https://t.co/Xz1KJl8jFe
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) April 5, 2024
The suspect was later arrested but has not spoken to officers about the attack. Investigators say they have not determined a motive yet, and there is no prior connection between the man and the girl.
The man, whose identity was not released, is scheduled for an arraignment on Thursday. The Ravensburg Criminal Police Office is leading the ongoing investigation into the attack.
However, authorities have not disclosed whether the suspect had any prior criminal record or has revealed potential motives for the stabbing. His immigration status and length of stay in Germany also remain unclear.
Broadcaster RTL quoted the remarks of Wangel mayor Michael Lang, who reacted to the incident by saying,
“We are very affected. The fact that a child is suddenly attacked is something that shocks us all and leaves us incredibly affected and dismayed.”
🚨 🇩🇪 BREAKING – A Muslim Man (34) of Syrian origin seriously injured a girl (4) with a knife in a supermarket in Wangen, #Germany — BILD
According to the police, the 34-yr-old had no previous relationship with the child.
Police arrested the perpetrator. pic.twitter.com/OEGXIbZ3lD
— 𝗡 𝗢 𝗜 𝗦 𝗘 ⚡ A L E R T S (@NoiseAlerts) April 4, 2024
This incident comes six years after a Palestinian asylum seeker killed one person and injured six others in a knife attack in a Hamburg supermarket in Germany.
According to Andy Grote, Hamburg’s Interior Minister, the asylum seeker could not be deported as he lacked identification documents and was psychologically unstable.