Two dead in Ludwigshafen: Police are looking for witnesses after a knife attack

A 25-year-old man stabbed two men on the street in Ludwigshafen, another victim survived the attack. The perpetrator was also seriously injured by police bullets. It is unclear why the attacker took the knife, the police are investigating in all directions.

After the deadly knife attack in Ludwigshafen, the investigators look at the background and the motive for the crime. The police are also relying on the help of witnesses in their investigations: “We are hoping for further information from the population to clarify the crime,” said the officials.

A 25-year-old is said to have attacked two people with a knife on the street in the Ludwigshafen district of Oggersheim on Tuesday, the 20- and 35-year-old men died. In a drugstore he is said to have attacked a 27-year-old who was seriously injured. There, the police managed to stop the attacker with shots. The perpetrator was seriously injured and arrested.

The background to the attack was initially unclear. The Rhineland-Palatinate Minister of the Interior Michael Ebling said on Tuesday that investigations would be carried out “in all directions”. The State Criminal Police Office was also involved. The SWR reported on Tuesday evening, citing the police, that the act was preceded by a dispute, so the attacker did not choose his victims at random.

Ebling spoke of a shocking and horrific act. It is thanks to the “courageous intervention” of the police that “the alleged perpetrator no longer poses any further danger”. Ludwigshafen’s mayor ordered mourning flags to be displayed.

Police say the suspect is a Somali national. According to previous knowledge, the three victims of the knife attack were Germans. Officials set up a witness drop-off point near the crime scene, which was also scheduled to open on Wednesday. The police asked for information, photos and videos of the crime to be forwarded. To do this, the investigators activated a portal on the Internet and set up a hotline. The officials also called on Twitter witnesses to report: “Support the police investigation with your information!” It said.