A Syrian teenager was arrested in Germany on Tuesday evening on suspicion of a mass stabbing which left one victim in critical condition.
The attack occurred on Königstrasse in the German city of Stuttgart around 6:30 p.m. local time. According to the police report, the 17-year-old suspect was walking down the street with two other individuals when they initiated an altercation with another group.
During the subsequent attack, the Syrian allegedly stabbed three men, aged 24, 37, and 47, between an ice cream parlor and an optician on the main street.
The 37-year-old man was rushed to hospital and remains in critical condition. The other two men suffered minor injuries.
Two women, 52 and 33 years old, who were with the injured men, were unharmed.
The 17-year-old Syrian migrant was arrested near the crime scene by responding officers, while his two companions evaded capture despite a mass search comprising around 40 officers.
“The investigation into the 17-year-old’s companions is ongoing. The 17-year-old suspect with Syrian nationality will be brought before a judge on Wednesday at the request of the Stuttgart public prosecutor’s office,” the police wrote.
The authorities are encouraging witnesses to the incident to contact Stuttgart police headquarters.
Despite the police report stating quite clearly the nationality of the man arrested, several mainstream news outlets across Germany omitted this fact from their report.
Tagesschau reported an “argument between two groups” during which a “17-year-old” was arrested, without any reference to his nationality.