The man is suspected of having attacked four people with a knife in a gym in Duisburg on Tuesday evening. It is a 26-year-old Syrian citizen, as announced by the Duisburg public prosecutor. The accused is to be brought before a magistrate on Monday – among other things, on charges of attempted murder.
In the suspect’s apartment, special units seized two knives during their access. The police and public prosecutor’s office in Duisburg said they could be used as a possible murder weapon. It is still unclear whether it was a targeted attack or whether the four injured were accidental victims. “Investigations into the background and motive for the crime are ongoing“, the investigators said on Sunday.
Witnesses contacted police Saturday afternoon
The suspect was arrested thanks to two men who contacted the police together on Saturday afternoon. According to the police, the two men knew the person they were looking for and were able to give very specific information, so that the suspect could be arrested during the night.
The suspect had also been searched for using photos from a surveillance camera since Friday. His apartment is said to be in the immediate vicinity of the crime scene – according to the police only a few hundred meters away. According to investigators, the man was previously unknown to the police. In 2016 he is said to have applied for asylum, which was also approved.