At least 18 people have been injured, several critically, in a knife attack that occurred Friday evening at Hamburg Central Station, one of Germany’s busiest transport hubs. Police say a 39-year-old German woman was arrested at the scene and remains in custody as authorities investigate the motive behind the violent rampage.

The attack unfolded around 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on platforms 13 and 14, while a train was stationed and passengers moved through the crowded terminal during rush hour. Witnesses reported scenes of panic and confusion as emergency services rushed to treat the wounded, some of whom received medical attention onboard trains.

Hamburg Police described the incident as a “major operation” and confirmed via a post on X (formerly Twitter) that multiple victims sustained life-threatening injuries. A video circulating on social media shows the suspected attacker, her hands cuffed behind her back, being escorted off the platform by officers.

Florian Abbenseth, a police spokesperson, told reporters that the suspect is believed to have acted alone and that no political or extremist motive has been identified at this stage. Instead, preliminary assessments suggest the woman may have been suffering from mental health issues.

Germany’s homicide division has taken over the investigation and is working to determine the suspect’s psychological state and possible triggers for the attack. She is expected to appear in court on Saturday.

The railway station, which typically sees over 550,000 travelers daily, was thrown into disarray. Four platforms were shut down, causing delays and diversions across several train lines. German rail operator Deutsche Bahn confirmed ongoing disruptions and advised passengers to check for updates before traveling.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the attack “shocking” and praised emergency personnel for their swift and courageous response. “My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” he said in a statement.

Images from the scene show a heavy police and paramedic presence, with some areas cordoned off by barriers to shield victims from public view. One widely circulated photograph depicts a man being stretchered away by paramedics.

This incident adds to a worrying trend of public violence in Germany in recent months. In January, a stabbing in a park in Aschaffenburg left a toddler and a man dead. In February, a Spanish tourist was attacked at Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial. Last December, a deadly vehicle rampage at a Magdeburg Christmas market killed six people and injured hundreds.

The earlier attacks, carried out by foreign nationals, ignited intense public debate and led to stricter border checks. Although Friday’s attacker was identified as a German citizen, the latest incident is likely to further fuel national discussions around public safety, mental health support, and law enforcement preparedness.

Police have urged eyewitnesses or anyone with relevant footage to come forward as the investigation continues.

Chioma Kalu

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Eighteen injured in Hamburg knife attack as woman arrested

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Several people have suffered life-threatening injuries in a knife attack at the main railway station in the German city of Hamburg, police have said. Hamburg Police said 18 people were injured in the attack at the northern city’s Central Station at about 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on Friday. Officers arrested a 39-year-old German woman at the scene as they carried out a major operation. The woman remains in police custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Saturday.

In a post on X, Hamburg Police said several people who were hurt had sustained life-threatening injuries. Speaking to the press outside the station, police said they believe the suspect acted alone and did not have a “political motive”. Rather, they believe she may have been “in a state of mental distress,” Florian Abbenseth, a police spokesperson, told reporters. Police later added that its homicide division is investigating the incident as well as the suspect’s motives. The attack happened between platforms 13 and 14 – which are accessible via a busy main road – while a train was on one of the platforms. Some of the victims were treated inside trains, according to reports. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the attack was “shocking” and thanked the emergency services on the ground for “their rapid assistance”.

RENE SCHRODER/NEWS5/AFP via Getty Images

Investigators believe the suspect acted alone and the attack was not politically motivated

Eighteen people were injured in a knife attack during rush hour at the central railway station in the northern German city of Hamburg on Friday, police said.

Earlier, emergency services had reported that 10 people had suffered serious or life-threatening injuries. All of the injured were taken to nearby hospitals.

Police said a 39-year-old German woman was detained at the station after stabbing people at random on platform 13/14.

She would be brought before a judge on Saturday, police spokesman Florian Abbenseth said, adding that the woman remained in police custody.

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The homicide squad has launched an investigation.

Forensic experts inspect the scene at the central station in Hamburg on Friday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Investigators believe that the woman acted alone and the stabbing was not politically motivated. “Rather, we have findings that lead us to investigate whether she may have been in a state of mental distress,” Abbenseth said, adding that the suspect did not resist arrest.

The knife used in the attack has been secured. There are many eyewitnesses who need to be interviewed, police said.

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The incident, which occurred at around 6pm on Friday sparked a major police operation at Hamburg’s central railway station, one of the busiest public transport hubs in Germany.

Police said that a train on the track next to the platform was not involved in the incident.

While the platform where the stabbings occurred was cordoned off, the rest of the station continued to operate normally on Friday evening, albeit amid a strong police presence.

Four tracks were temporarily closed but reopened overnight after evidence was collected at the scene, railway operator Deutsche Bahn said. Passengers were advised to check schedules online, though services were expected to run on time by morning.

In a statement, the operator expressed its “deep dismay” at the attack.

“Our thoughts and sympathy are with the injured,” the company said, warning of disruption to journeys.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz held a phone call with Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher following the knife attack, offering the help of the federal government, according to government spokesman Stefan Kornelius.

“The news from Hamburg is shocking. My thoughts are with the victims and their families,” Merz wrote on X. “My thanks go to all the emergency services on the ground for their rapid help.”

Tschentscher wrote on X that the incident was shocking. He thanked the police and emergency services for their quick response and added: “The perpetrator is in custody. I wish the victims of the incident much strength and hope that those who are seriously injured will be saved.”

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt condemned the attack, calling it shocking that people were targeted in such a “cowardly” way, according to the ministry. He expressed his sympathy for the victims and extended his gratitude to the police, emergency services and volunteers at the scene.

A ban on carrying knives has been in place at the station since October 2023, with another ban on knives on public transport having taken effect in December last year.

Germany saw a number of attacks in public places in the run-up to parliamentary elections in February.

CNN —

Eighteen people were injured – four of whom remain in critical condition – in a knife attack Friday in the German city of Hamburg, authorities said.

Hamburg police said they have arrested a 39-year-old German woman, who they believe acted alone in carrying out the attack at the city’s Central Station, after a major police operation. She is in police custody and expected to be brought to a court on Saturday, police said.

Six people were “badly injured,” while seven others were “lightly injured,” the fire department said. Dozens of emergency services were active on the scene.

Police previously said that several people had sustained “life-threatening injuries” in the attack.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing. Police told CNN that officers are not currently assuming any political motivation, but were looking into whether the suspect had been in a state of mental distress.

In a statement late on Friday, Hamburg police said the attacker had acted “apparently indiscriminately, stabbed passersby, injuring some of them critically.”

“Further background and circumstances are not yet known. The investigation is being conducted intensively,” the police statement said, adding more information would be provided “as it becomes available.”

Video footage from the scene filmed by CNN’s affiliate RTL Germany shows people in forensic suits inspecting the area while police gather in the train station.

Following the attack, Germany’s Friedrich Merz thanked the city’s emergency responders for their assistance and said that his “thoughts are with the victims and their families,” according to federal government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius.

Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt also said his thoughts were with the victims and thanked the emergency services. “It is shocking when travelers are attacked in a treacherous and cowardly manner,” Dobrindt said.

Hamburg’s Central Station is the busiest passenger railway station in Germany, with more than 550,000 travelers per day, according to the city’s website.

Germany has faced rising rates of knife crime in recent years, with some incidents stirring up tensions over migration ahead of parliamentary elections in February.

Some in the country were concerned by a series of high-profile attacks allegedly carried out by asylum seekers or migrants.

In January, a 28-year-old man from Afghanistan was arrested following a knife attack in the German city of Aschaffenburg in which two people were killed, including a toddler.

Last year, a Syrian man turned himself in and confessed to stabbing to death three people and wounding several others at a festival in the western German city of Solingen.

This story has been updated with additional information.

Hamburg, May 24, 2025

At least 18 people were injured in a knife attack at Hamburg train station on Friday evening, according to local media reports.

Authorities confirmed the arrest of a woman suspected of being behind the assault. Of the injured, four are in critical condition, while six others sustained serious injuries, according to a report by Germany’s Bild newspaper.

Hamburg police, however, stated on the social media platform X that there were no confirmed figures available as yet but acknowledged that “several” people had suffered life-threatening injuries.

According to police sources, the attacker struck passengers on the platform situated between tracks 13 and 14. The station, located in the heart of Hamburg — Germany’s second-largest city — is a major hub for local, regional, and long-distance train services.

The stabbing took place shortly after 6 p.m., right in front of a waiting train, reports regional broadcaster NDR.

A high-speed ICE train was visible at the platform following the incident, with its doors still open — suggesting the attack occurred as passengers were boarding or alighting from the train.

As a result of the violence, four tracks at the station were shut down on Friday evening. The temporary closures led to delays and diversions for several long-distance trains operating through the busy terminal.

Florian Abbenseth, spokesperson for the Hamburg police, told reporters that the motive behind the attack was still under investigation. “So far, we have no evidence that the woman could have acted with political motivation,” he said.

“Rather, we have findings on the basis of which we are now investigating in particular whether she may have been in a state of mental distress,” Abbenseth added.

The stabbing incident comes amid heightened security concerns in Germany. Just earlier this year, in February, days before the country’s federal election, another shocking incident unfolded in Munich where at least 30 people were injured after a car rammed into a crowd.

The suspect in that case was a 24-year-old Afghan national and asylum seeker who was swiftly taken into custody.

The Munich incident had occurred only hours before several prominent international leaders, including US Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, were due to arrive in the city for the annual Munich Security Conference.(Agency)

At least 17 people are believed to have been injured in a knife attack at Hamburg Central Station on Friday evening.

Hamburg’s fire service said late on Friday 17 people were injured – four of them with life-threatening injuries, another six with serious injuries and seven with light injuries, German news agency dpa reported.

Hamburg Police said it had arrested the suspected assailant on social media after declaring a major police operation.

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They said on social media: “There is currently a major police operation in #Hamburg on #Hauptbahnhof!

“We are investigating the background and will provide further information here shortly.”

Authorities revealed they arrested a 39-year-old woman, who they believe acted alone.

Police said there were “no reliable figures on the number of injured people” but confirmed several people had sustained life-threatening injuries.

The incident is believed to have taken place between platforms 13 and 14 (Reuters)

Local media reported that the attack took place near platforms 13 and 14, accessible via a busy main road, while a train had pulled into one of the platforms around 6pm local time. Police have cordoned off part of the complex.

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Officers “approached her, and the woman allowed herself to be arrested without resistance”, Hamburg police spokesperson Florian Abbenseth said, according to the comments carried by public broadcaster ARD.

“We have no evidence so far that the woman may have had a political motive,” he said. “Rather, we have information, based on which we now want to investigate, whether she may have been experiencing a psychological emergency.”

Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s office said the German leader was appalled by the news. He reportedly called Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher to say “my thoughts are with the victims and their relatives.”

Deutsche Bahn said of the incident: “We are deeply saddened by the violent incident at Hamburg Central Station this early evening. Our thoughts and condolences are with those injured.

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“Due to the ongoing police operation, tracks 11 to 14 at Hamburg Central Station are currently closed. Delays and diversions are occurring for long-distance trains.

“We ask our passengers to check their connections before starting their journey using digital information tools such as bahn.de and the DB Navigator app. DB service staff will be available to assist passengers at the main station.

“We are fully supporting the authorities in their investigations on site.”

The station, downtown in Germany’s second-biggest city, is a major hub for local, regional and long-distance trains. With an average of 550,000 passengers a day, Hamburg is Germany’s busiest railway station and the second-busiest in Europe after the Gare du Nord in Paris.

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Carrying weapons, including knives, is banned at the station and on local transport in the city.

The incident comes over two months after a a car rammed into a crowd on a busy shopping street in the city of Mannheim. Police arrested one man following the incident on a pedestrianised street, where a market had been put up for carnival season.

An elderly woman and 54-year-old man were killed in the incident which took place in March.