Hamburg stabbing: 12 slashed in knife rampage in Germany, woman arrested

23 May 2025 , 18:58

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First responders have been photographed on the train platform. Picture: AP

A major police operation is underway after 12 people were slashed in a horror train station knife attack in Hamburg, Germany. A number of people were left seriously injured and federal officials were called in.

The local police confirmed on social media this afternoon that a "major police operation" was underway at Hamburg Central Railroad Station which has suspended services from the major transport hub.

The force said it was "investigating the background and will provide further information".

Pictures have started coming in from the scene of today’s attacks, with a clear and significant emergency presence seen swarming the station this evening.

Emergency services have set up a perimeter at the scene. Picture: NEWS5/AFP via Getty Images

Both police and the local fire service have issued statements about the incident, and unidentified stabbing victims can be seen being loaded into ambulances.

According to Hamburg Central Station’s website, more than 550,000 people are funneled through the transport hub per day, making the station the "most frequented passenger railway station in Germany".

The station is second only to Paris-Nord, with around 720 locally and nationally bound services heading down its tracks per day.

The site adds: "Public transport in Hamburg cannot be imagined without the eight mainline railway lines, four urban railways (including the S1, a direct connection to the airport) and six underground platforms for local traffic that intersect here."

Hamburg Central Station is the most frequented in Germany. Picture: Getty Images/Stockphoto

Hamburg Police confirmed in their earlier statement that it is currently unclear about circumstances leading to today’s shocking attack.

In the first statement following early reports, the service said: "We are investigating the background and will provide further information here shortly."

Aktuell kommt es in #Hamburg am #Hauptbahnhof zu einem größeren Polizeieinsatz!

Wir prüfen die Hintergründe und informieren hier in Kürze über nähere Erkenntnisse.

*PEZ pic.twitter.com/pLdRL2azCP

— Polizei Hamburg (@PolizeiHamburg) May 23, 2025

James Smith

Editor-in-Chief