German police have revealed that the investigation into the recent stabbing attack at Hamburg’s main train station, which left 18 people injured, has found no evidence of a political motivation behind the crime. Instead, concrete indications of a mental health issue in the suspect have emerged, the Hamburg police said in a statement on Saturday.
According to the authorities, the suspect, a woman, was observed handling a knife on the Südsteg, a platform at the station, before moving to the platform serving tracks 13 and 14, where she began attacking people waiting for a train with the knife. Two bystanders on the platform, as well as the responding emergency services, managed to interrupt the attack and apprehend the woman.
The 18 victims, ranging in age from 19 to 85, were taken to hospitals for treatment. As of the latest information, seven were lightly injured, seven suffered serious injuries and four were in critical condition. The four critically injured, a 24-year-old woman, a 24-year-old man, a 52-year-old woman and an 85-year-old woman, are now in stable condition, according to the police.