A stabbing at Hamburg’s central train station causes multiple injuries. A woman is arrested

Police at the scene of a stabbing at Hamburg Central Station in Hamburg, Germany, Friday, May 23, 2025. (Steven Hutchings/dpa via AP)

BERLIN — BERLIN (AP) — A stabbing attack at the busy central train station in the German city of Hamburg left multiple people injured, some of them in life-threatening condition, authorities said. A woman was arrested as the suspect.

The attacker targeted people on the platform between tracks 13 and 14 in the station at around 6 p.m., according to police. The station in downtown Hamburg, Germany’s second-biggest city, is a major hub for local, regional and long-distance trains.

Police said that "several” people had life-threatening injuries, but didn't give specific figures. Late Friday evening, Hamburg's fire service said that 17 people were hurt in total — four of them with life-threatening injuries, another six with serious injuries and seven with light injuries, German news agency dpa reported.

Police said a 39-year-old woman, a German national, was arrested at the scene without putting up resistance and that they believe after watching video footage that she acted alone. They secured the knife.

There was no immediate indication of any political motive, and investigators were looking into whether the suspect may have been mentally ill, police spokesperson Florian Abbenseth said.

A high-speed ICE train with its doors open was still at the platform hours after the attack, but Abbenseth said that it was not a crime scene.

Railway operator Deutsche Bahn said it was “deeply shocked” by the attack. Four tracks at the station were closed Friday evening, and some long-distance trains were delayed or diverted.

Carrying weapons, including knives, is banned at the station and on local transport in Hamburg.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz's office said the German leader was appalled by the news and told Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher in a call Friday evening that “my thoughts are with the victims and their relatives.”

The Associated Press