Afghan knifeman attacks multiple people at Jehovah’s Witness stand in German train station before being overpowered by hero civilians
An Afghan knifeman has attacked multiple people at a Jehovah’s Witness stand in a German train station.
The 35-year-old attacker was then overpowered by heroic civilians at Würzburg Central Station who rushed to the victims’ aid.
Police are treating it as an attempted homicide and have arrested a suspect in connection with the attack who is now in custody.
Bavarian Police reports say the suspect was in the entrance hall of the Würzburg Central Station at around 7.50am. Würzburg is located in central Germany, east of Frankfurt in the Bavaria region.
He approached the Jehovah’s Witness stand and then stabbed at a 68-year-old man and physically attacked a 55-year-old and a 51-year-old, police said.
A spokesperson for Bavarian Police said: ‘Several passersby, including a plainclothes police officer, immediately intervened and were able to subdue the 35-year-old.
‘A patrol from the Federal Police arrived shortly after the initial emergency call and was able to provisionally arrest the suspect. Several patrols from the Würzburg police also responded promptly to the scene.’
A 35-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the triple knife attack at Würzburg Central Station in Bavaria, Germany, as police treat it as an attempted homicide (pictured)
Three of those attacked by the suspect sustained minor injuries, police confirmed. They did not suffer any cuts or stab wounds and are currently receiving medical attention by emergency services.
The area has now been cordoned off and the Würzburg Criminal Police have begun investigations at the scene.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are a Christian denomination known for door-to-door evangelism and public preaching and strict Bible-based beliefs. The religious community was banned under the Nazi regime after being founded in the USA in the late 19th century. There are around eight million members worldwide.
Officers are taking CCTV footage from the main train station cameras and the 35-year-old suspect’s apartment is currently being searched.
Witnesses in the area are also being questioned by police, who have been asking if anyone noticed the suspect in the lead up to the attack or in the nearby Kaiserstraße area.
They are also investigating the man’s ‘exclamations’ and ‘gestures’ he made during the attack.
Local train services have not been affected by the attack, a police spokesperson said.
Police have cordoned off the area of the attack and are now searching the 35-year-old suspect’s apartment
Local police service Polizei Unterfranken reported that, following the arrest, ‘there is currently no danger to the public.’
The attack is reminiscent of another stabbing in Würzburg in June 2021. A mentally ill refugee killed three women and injured nine other people after he indiscriminately stabbed unsuspecting passersby in the city centre.
German authorities blocked the Somali attacker Abdirahman Jibril from deportation in November 2025 over fears he could return to Germany from Somalia unsupervised and commit further violent crimes, Brussels Signal said.
He killed three women aged 25, 49, and 82 in his random attacks on June 25, 2021. One of the victims he stabbed to death was shielding her 11-year-old daughter from the assailant, Hiraan Online said.
He yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ as he stabbed the women, local reports said at the time.
