A suspected asylum seeker has killed a boy, 2, and an adult, while leaving two others injured in a knife attack.
The child and adult were slain in Schontal Park, located in the Bavarian town of Aschaffenburg, Germany, at around 11:45am.
Local police said: ‘A 28-year-old man from Afghanistan was arrested close to the crime scene’.
According to Spiegel, the suspected perpetrator is a male asylum seeker who is said to have had mental health problems.
The news outlet reported the Afghan’s name is Enamullah O., and said he was born in 1997 and lives in an asylum accommodation in the region.
Investigators say he had already shown psychological problems in the past.
An eyewitness told the Main-Echo newspaper that the arrested man was taken away ‘in a headlock.’
Police said those the two people that were killed in the park were a two-year-old-boy, and a 41-year-old man.
Rescue and security worker are seen near the crime scene in Aschaffenburg, Germany
Police and ambulances were pictured near the scene in Schöntal Park, Aschaffenburg
An eyewitness told the Main-Echo newspaper that the arrested man was taken away ‘in a headlock’
Cops confirmed that two people had died while two others were seriously injured in the attack, and are now being treated in hospital.
‘Two people were fatally injured,’ police said, while ‘two seriously injured people are receiving treatment in hospital.
‘The suspect was arrested in the immediate vicinity of the crime scene.’
A second person arrested was a witness and was being questioned, police said.
‘There are no indications of other suspects’ and no further danger to the public, they added.
Police also said investigations into the ‘background of the crime’ were ongoing.
In a press release following the incident, Lower Franconia Police confirmed: ‘The Aschaffenburg police, with the support of surrounding departments, launched a large-scale search for the suspect immediately after the incident became known.
‘The 28-year-old was arrested in the immediate vicinity. The suspected weapon used in the crime, a knife, was confiscated’.
The motive for the attack remains unclear and police have asked that people refrain from speculation.
German police secures a park, where earlier today two people were killed in a knife attack, one of them a child, in Aschaffenburg
Rescue vehicles are seen near the crime scene in Aschaffenburg
A large area was cordoned off covering Schöntal Park, police said, and rail traffic in the area was temporarily suspended.
The suspect is believed to have tried to escape by running across nearby railway tracks, German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported.
In November, police classified parts of the city centre park as a ‘dangerous place’ due to an increase in ‘drug-related crimes’, which reportedly included robbery and assault.
There were reported to be regular patrols of the area, which is potentially why the suspect was apprehended so quickly.
Police have asked for witnesses to come forward and share any relevant pictures or videos as the investigation into the attack continues.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
