26 Jun 2021

German knife attack: Several dead and wounded in Würzburg

6:56 am on 26 June 2021

At least three people have died and six have been wounded in the German city of Würzburg after they were attacked by a man wielding a large knife, police say.

25 June 2021, Bavaria, Würzburg: Police officers stand in the city centre. According to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, three people were killed and five injured in the knife attack in Würzburg.

Police officers guard the Würzburg city centre near where the attack occurred. Photo: AFP

A man has been arrested, they say, and there is no further danger to the public.

Videos on social media appear to show a man armed with a knife being confronted and subdued by passersby and police.

A reporter for ARD public television said he had been told by police that there were no indications of a terrorist motive behind the attack.

The area around Barbarossaplatz, in the city centre, has been sealed off while investigations are carried out.

25 June 2021, Bavaria, Würzburg: Police officers run in the city center. Several people were killed in a knife attack in downtown Würzburg on Friday.

Police officers move into the area to investigate the attack in Würzburg. Photo: AFP

There is no indication of more than one attacker.

Police said the man was a 24-year-old Somali who lived in the south-west German town.

"The man, who lives in Würzburg, was hit with a police bullet, but his life is not threatened," Lower Franconia police said on Twitter.

"The attacker was overpowered after police used a firearm. There are no indications of a second suspect. There is no danger to the population."

Würzburg is a city of some 130,000 people south-east of Frankfurt.

- BBC / Reuters