A 28-year-old Iraqi national was arrested in Germany on Saturday on suspicion of a knife attack on a woman at a bus stop in broad daylight.
According to a joint statement by the public prosecutor’s office and local police, the incident occurred shortly before noon in Lienzingen, a village with a population of just 2,000 around 40 kilometers northwest of Stuttgart.
A 27-year-old woman, who is understood to have known the victim, was left lying in a pool of blood following the attack. Some bystanders stayed to tend to her injuries and alert the authorities, while others attempted to chase the attacker who fled the scene.
A manhunt involving tracking dogs and a helicopter was authorized by local police, who located and arrested the suspect approximately three hours after the attack.
The victim was taken to the hospital after sustaining knife wounds and is understood to be in a serious but not life-threatening condition, according to investigators.
“There is a suspicion that the 28-year-old tried to kill the woman in the act,” a police statement read.
The suspect remains in custody and appeared before magistrates at the Karlsruhe District Court on Sunday for a bail application.
Prosecutors insisted the Iraqi migrant poses a considerable risk of absconding, a submission acknowledged by the judge who ordered the suspect to remain in custody pending the police investigation.
No further information has been revealed regarding the nature of the offense or the relationship between the attacker and his victim.
The investigation is ongoing.
