Near Düsseldorf, a man was arrested on Monday evening on suspicion of stabbing five people in a bar in the West German city of Bielefeld. The suspect is reportedly a Syrian man with a residence permit.
According to the police, the arrested man is “almost certainly” the main suspect in the stabbing on Sunday, according to German media, including That Welt. The suspect is said to be a 35-year-old Syrian. He was arrested by special police units in Heiligenhaus, near Düsseldorf.
His motive is not yet clear, said Herbert Reul, the Minister of the Interior of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. “We know what happened, and we know who he is, but nothing more.”
On Sunday morning, the man allegedly injured five men between the ages of 22 and 27 with a sharp object in a bar in Bielefeld. According to witnesses, he randomly stabbed guests with a knife and with a special walking stick from which a blade can be slid out. Four victims were seriously injured, and two were briefly in life-threatening condition. Their condition is now stable.
The victims defended themselves during the attack, after which the attacker fled. In the process, he lost his backpack, in which the police found a bottle of flammable liquid and a residence permit from a Syrian. Several knives were also found at the location where the suspect was arrested on Monday evening.
According to Interior Minister Reul, the man entered Europe via Turkey and received temporary protection status at the end of 2023 after applying for asylum in Germany.