Two people were killed in a stabbing in the southern German city of Aschaffenburg on Wednesday, local police said.
A 41-year-old man and a two-year-old child died in the attack. Two others were seriously injured.
A 28-year-old suspect, who police say is from Afghanistan, has been taken into custody following the murder. Another man who witnessed the attack has also been detained for questioning, but is not suspected of wrongdoing.
The motive for the attack is still not clear, but the police have started investigation.
The stabbing happened in Shawntal Park near the city center shortly before noon.
Police say that after the attack there is no danger to the public. As the perpetrator of the attack attempted to flee the crime scene across nearby train tracks, the German rail company Deutsche Bahn temporarily halted trains in the area.
Police in the Bavarian district of Lower Franconia, where Aschaffenberg is located, are calling on witnesses to the attack to send photos and video of the incident.
This attack has happened at a time when Germany is on security alert ahead of elections.
Aschaffenburg is located in the northern part of the German state of Bavaria, and is less than an hour’s drive or train ride from Frankfurt.
Germany is on high alert after an attack by a car rammed into a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg last month, killing six people and injuring nearly 300.
Security in Germany’s public spaces is a major topic of debate ahead of the snap German election on February 23.
wd/sms (AFP, Reuters, dpa)
