After a bashing incident on a train attendant in Rhineland-Palatinate, the Bundeswehr soldier who provided first aid finally spoke out. He told the news portal “T‑Online” that the alleged Greek attacker had been “very aggressive from the very beginning”. The 23‑year‑old, who serves as a Hauptgefreiter in Company 4 of the 26th Parachute Regiment in Zweibrücken, declined to give his full name, but his company confirmed that he was indeed the first responder on the train.
According to the soldier, the suspect repeatedly claimed during a ticket check that he had combat‑sport experience and then struck the attendant’s head on several occasions. After the assault, he and another man performed emergency care, placing Serkan C., the train attendant, into the recovery position. Initially the attendant was breathing, but shortly before arriving at Homburg station he stopped breathing and, the soldier reports, “had no pulse”. Police then took over further rescue measures.
The soldier explained that in the Bundeswehr, training in vital signs and first aid is common so that soldiers can act safely in stressful situations. “I simply relied on what I had learned” he said. “It is naturally obvious to me to help people in distress, and everyone should look out for one another. I would handle the situation the same way, 100 percent, again”.