Detained suspect in Munich knife attack resembles witness descriptions

BERLIN: Police have detained a suspect in a knife attack in Munich, Germany, a police spokesman said on Saturday.

The suspect is believed to have injured four people and tried but failed to stab two others earlier on Saturday. The victims were five men and one woman, Munich police spokesman Marcus da Gloria Martins told journalists.

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“We have arrested a person who very strongly resembles the description by witnesses, but we cannot confirm that he is the attacker,” Martins said.

Martins added that police were not sure what the attacker’s motive was and that they could only name the detained suspect once they had determined that he was behind the attack.

German police rule out ‘terrorism’ in Munich knife attack

German police ruled out a political or religious motive behind a knife attack in Munich on Saturday and said the detained man suspected of injuring eight people had mental health problems.

The arrest of the suspect in his 30s brought calm back to the streets of the Bavarian capital after a tense morning. Police had asked residents to stay home until they find the attacker who had fled on a bicycle.

Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae told a news conference that eight people have been lightly injured in the attack and that the suspect was known to police from previous offences, including burglary.

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“We have no indication of a terrorist, political, or religious motive,” Andrae said. “I assume it is to do with a psychological disorder of the perpetrator.”

Police had earlier said they believe the man, who attacked people at several different locations, acted alone.

His victims include a 12-year-old boy and a woman.

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