Knife attacker in the Duisburg shopping center: panic and arrest!

Knife attacker in the Duisburg shopping center: panic and arrest!

On Thursday evening there was a worrying incident in the “Marktforum” shopping center in Duisburg-Reinhausen. A man with a knife caused excitement among the passers -by. The Duisburg at the request of the WDR confirmed the incident, which was widespread on social media, in particular Tikkok. Videos of the attack recorded about 1.5 million views. The 49-year-old ran through the shopping center with the knife, while screaming from frightened passers-by could be heard.

In the videos you can see how some passers-by tried to stop the attacker with beach flags and displays. The man fled behind the counter of a tobacco shop, while pursuers called: "Down the knife". Finally, the man gave up and looked confused what can be seen in another video that shows the arrest by the police. Fortunately, there were no injuries.

psychological problems and investigations

The investigators do not rule out a mental illness of the suspect. Some reports indicate that the man could have been in a psychiatric condition beforehand. According to RP Online , the man is examined psychiatric to determine whether he can be held responsible for the incident.

This incident is not the first to spoke the worrying development of knife attacks in Germany. In 2023, the Federal Criminal Police Office recorded an increase in knife attacks by 9.7 % for dangerous and serious bodily harm and an increase of 16.6 % in predatory offenses. It is striking that in many cases foreign suspects are overrepresented, which is due to social factors such as poverty and education. More information about this offers Media service Integration .

context of the knife attacks

statistics show that in 2023 almost all federal states (except Brandenburg) recorded an increase in knife attacks, with an average increase of around 15 %. The suspects are mostly male and mostly over 21 years old. There is also an alarming increase in driving knives among young people. Reasons for this could be social isolation, fear and difficulties in non -violent conflict resolution.

The investigation into the exact motive of the current incident in the Duisburg shopping center continues to run. The incident again raises questions about mental health and social integration that are of considerable importance in German society.