A boy, aged two, and a man, 41, have been stabbed to death in a horror attack in Germany after a suspected asylum seeker armed with a knife ambushed a nursery group.
The child, who was reportedly Moroccan, 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.
The suspect had allegedly been following a day care group of five young children before launching the attack, according to Main-Echo.
An eyewitness told the Main-Echo newspaper that the arrested man was taken away ‘in a headlock.’
Rescue and security worker are seen near the crime scene in Aschaffenburg, Germany
Cops confirmed that two people had died while two others were seriously injured in the attack, and are now being treated in hospital.
According to Bild, one of the seriously injured is also a child.
‘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.
Main-Echo reported that teachers from an Aschaffenburg daycare center were out on a local trip to Schontal with five small children.
‘The attacker is said to have followed this group. The teachers noticed this and they wanted to leave Schontal,’ the news site said.
‘When they wanted to leave, the man is said to have attacked the group with a knife. He was apparently specifically targeting the children.
‘One teacher suffered injuries and is now in hospital, another is receiving psychological care.
‘The other children have now been picked up by their parents and are receiving psychological care’.
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’.
