Mentally ill man arrested after axe attack at German train station leaves several others injured
A man has been arrested after attacking six people with an axe at the central train station in Dusseldorf, Germany.
A 13-year-old girl was one of those reportedly injured in the incident that took place about 9pm Thursday, local time.
It had earlier been reported that two had been detained but police later confirmed one arrest and believed he acted alone.
The suspect was described as a 36-year-old man from the former Yugoslavia, who lived in the nearby German city of Wuppertal, police said in a statement.
The alleged attacker became injured while trying to escape by jumping from an overpass, and appears to have mental problems, according to police.
An axe was recovered at the scene.
"A man, presumably armed with an axe, attacked people indiscriminately," the statement read.
"He finds himself seriously injured in hospital."
Police confirmed seven injured: three with serious injuries and four with "slight" injuries.
No details were given of the alleged attacker's possible motive, but police stressed: "We are not using the words 'rampage' or 'terror'," the spokesman said.
The spokesperson added there was no serious threat of further attacks.
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All trains in and out of the station have reportedly been stopped.
Rail traffic was stopped at the station as helicopters scoured overhead and police were deployed in the area of the attack, the Bild daily reported.
"We were on the platform waiting for the train. The train arrived and suddenly someone with an axe came out and started attacking people," an unnamed witness told the newspaper.
"There was blood everywhere," the witness was quoted as saying.
The station was sealed off by armed police and shut down, but reopened early Friday.
The city's mayor Thomas Geisel reached out to victims, according to Bild.
"It's a huge blow for Dusseldorf. Many people are in shock. I'd like to thank the police. My thoughts go out to the victims and their families," he said.
