A 28-year-old man from Afghanistan has been arrested in connection with a knife attack on Wednesday in a park in the German city of Aschaffenburg, resulting in two fatalities, including a toddler, according to police and the state health minister.
Reportedly, the suspect intentionally targeted a kindergarten group in the park with a kitchen knife, stated Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann.
Among the casualties were a 41-year-old German passerby and a two-year-old boy of Moroccan descent, both fatally injured, while a two-year-old Syrian girl sustained injuries, Herrmann disclosed.
The assailant was apprehended on-site at Schoental park, an English-style garden in the city, where the assault happened on Wednesday morning.
Additionally, three others were wounded, including a 61-year-old man, a child, and a teacher, noted Bavarian Health Minister Judith Gerlach.
The suspect, with a history of violent behavior, was reportedly undergoing psychiatric treatment. Despite having his asylum request rejected and expressing intent to leave Germany in December, he remained in the country for treatment, Herrmann verified.
These stabbings contribute to a series of violent incidents in Germany, heightening concerns over security and migration before the parliamentary elections on Feb. 23.
An initial search of the suspect's asylum shelter did not uncover any evidence of radical Islamist tendencies but only medications related to his psychiatric treatment, Hermann specified.
Authorities confirmed that there were no indications of other suspects involved in the attack.
Previously, on Dec. 20, a Saudi doctor drove into pedestrians at a Christmas market in the city of Magdeburg, resulting in six deaths and around 200 injuries.