Germany: Two people killed in public park in central city of Aschaffenburg | DW News

Police in Germany have arrested an Afghan man over a fatal knife attack.

Two people – including a two-year-old boy – were killed in a public park in the central city of Aschaffenburg. Two others have been hospitalized for injuries from the attack. Police have not discussed a possible motive. German media have reported that the suspect lived in an asylum center in the area. It’s the latest in a series of incidents raising security and immigration concerns before next month’s elections.

00:00 Deadly stabbing in Germany’s Aschaffenburg
00:26 DW Correspondent Simon Young

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police in Germany have arrested a man from Afghanistan over a fatal knife attack two people including a 2-year-old boy were killed in a public park in the Central City of aenor two others have been hospitalized for injuries from the attack police have not discussed a possible motive German media has reported that the suspect lived in an asylum Center in the area let’s bring in DW correspondent Simon young in Berlin Simon tell us more about what exactly happened there yeah goad uh as you said this happened in a public park in the center of the Bavarian city of aschaffenburg just before midday on Wednesday um and it appears that this man uh without warning uh started to attack uh what appears to have been a group of kindergarten age children who were in the park two people were killed uh a 2-year-old uh boy uh who were told uh by officials is of Moroccan origin uh and a man who was a passer by apparently who tried to intervene uh and to stop further uh uh violence but himself paid with his life now police are still looking in uh to any possible motive for this attack uh the the media reports have said in fact it’s been confirmed confirmed I think that this man did have psychological problems that he was receiving treatment he was also known to the authorities and one other important detail uh he himself had uh uh made a an application for Asylum here in Germany uh but he had also told the authorities that he uh planned to uh leave the country and return to Afghanistan but he did not do that now have there been any iCal reactions well of course there’s been widespread expressions of condemnation uh from all parties uh and expressions of horror at the at this attack uh Chancellor Schultz uh demanded a quick investigation uh and has said that the authorities need to explain why this man uh was still uh in Germany uh the leader of the conservative ucsu Union friederich me has said that Germany can’t go on like this that was his words and must reestablish Law and Order um the woman who leads the afd the farri anti-immigration party Alice vial who’s running for Chancellor as well um tweeted that uh in relation to this incident the appropriate response was uh remigration now so uh you can see already the currence of a politicization under behind those comments I think yeah you mentioned it in just four weeks Germany will hold general elections could this attack have an effect on the campaign as there have been other similar attacks recently well I think it certainly could uh the issue of migration has recently shot back up to uh the top of issues that voters say they are concerned about particularly following the uh attack on a Christmas Market in magur uh in December and um I think that uh you know all parties now are saying a a new uh approach has to be taken uh to migration into Germany in the widest sense both legal and illegal uh relating to the Asylum system and so on and uh for for every party it seems clear that they need to formulate a response not just because of attacks like this particularly because this of course carries a great uh emotional Force for voters thank you very much DW correspondent Simon young there reporting