A Malian woman living in Germany illegally has been detained by authorities for lashing out and attacking several people after being ordered to leave an inter-city train because she was riding without a valid ticket.
The incident occurred on Friday at Magdeburg Central Station where the 39-year-old woman had been told to disembark from the train traveling from Schönebeck.
A ticket inspection during the journey revealed the woman had not purchased a ticket, leading to a dispute with the train conductor, who informed the railway control center that the suspect would be exiting the train at its next stop in Magdeburg.
When the train arrived, the conductor was placing the woman’s luggage onto the platform when he was attacked. The suspect allegedly grabbed his neck and scratched at his face and throat, knocking his glasses to the floor in the process.
When the authorities arrived at the scene, the suspect reportedly attacked two federal police officers, elbowing one in the face.
“Another 37-year-old train attendant who wanted to help her colleague was kicked in the leg by the attacker. The federal police immediately tried to stop this attack, but the Malian national, driven by their anger, was not so easily calmed down,” a police spokesman told German newspaper Bild.
The suspect is also accused of biting another police officer before she was arrested and taken into custody at the local police station.
“When checking the detainee’s documents, the federal police also found that her right to stay had expired in February of this year and that she was therefore probably staying in the federal territory without permission,” the police spokesperson added.
Both an alcohol and a drug test were negative, with the escalation and anger shown by the suspect not immediately explained.
All four victims required medical treatment and were required to stop working.
The suspect is now understood to be being investigated for fraudulently claiming benefits in Germany, in addition to trespassing, causing actual bodily harm, damaging property, resisting arrest, and residing in the country illegally.
