Gunman in Wolmirstedt identified as a 27-year-old Afghan national.
Once more, a 27-year-old man from Afghanistan allegedly stabs another man and proceeds to harm several folks at a private EU event in Wolmirstedt, close to Magdeburg. Police soon arrived and were also targeted by the attacker, who eventually got shot. The identity of both the attacker and the victim have been confirmed.
As stated by the authorities, the assailant hails from Wolmirstedt and was shot by police on a Friday evening following his purported use of a knife-like weapon to injure three individuals at a private EU gathering and subsequently attacking officers. Earlier, he supposedly stabbed a 23-year-old Afghan man in a nearby housing complex, resulting in his death.
Reports suggest that the attacker then wandered aimlessly through the housing complex in Wolmirstedt. According to the "Magdeburger Volksstimme," he even supposedly threatened people with a knife-like object in an allotment garden.
At roughly 9 pm, the perpetrator forced his way into a private home and reportedly assaulted several residents with a knife-like object. A 50-year-old German woman and a 75-year-old German man sustained serious injuries, while a 56-year-old German man was left with minor injuries. The attacker then fled the scene.
Later, police encountered him and were attacked as well. The officers then responded with gunfire. The prosecutor's office later confirmed the attacker's death in the hospital due to gunshot wounds. The motive behind the crime remains unclear at this point. The prosecutor's office stated that there's currently no evidence suggesting a religiously motivated crime or any other motivation. The Interior Ministry is expected to make a statement later in the day.
Revisiting the scene of the crime... EU ball
Wolmirstedt, a town with approximately 12,000 residents north of Magdeburg, was the scene of the incident in a peaceful single-family home development. Neighbors reported hearing gunshots following the incident. "The shock is still lingering pretty deeply," said a nearby couple.
The couple had been enjoying a football match on TV in the evening when they heard two gunshots. "We thought someone was celebrating with fireworks after scoring the second goal," said the man. Peering out the window, they saw an ambulance and a man lying near a driveway. This man was quickly covered up.
Earlier in May, a knife attack caused widespread alarm. A 25-year-old Afghan man had attacked members of the islamcritical civic movement Pax Europa with a knife on the Mannheimer Marktplatz. A 29-year-old police officer was also assaulted by him and later passed away from the aftermath of the attack.
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In light of these events, the town of Wolmirstedt, located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, has once again been at the center of international attention due to a knife attack. Initial investigations suggest that the perpetrator had previously resided in the area and had allegedly perpetrated a similar knife attack in Mannheim, another German city.
