German police seek motive for attack on private football party

Police in Germany are still looking for a motive in the fight against a man who attacked several people at a private European Championship party in a small town.

The incident occurred on Friday night in Wolmirstedt, central Hesse.

According to police, a 27-year-old man broke into a family home and attacked several people who had gathered on the terrace to watch the opening match of the 2024 European Championship between Germany and Scotland.

Police said he stabbed several people with a “knife-like object.”

The attacker, who was from Afghanistan, seriously injured a 50-year-old woman and a 75-year-old man. A 56-year-old man was slightly injured.

After the police arrived, the perpetrator is said to have attacked the officers. The police responded by firing shots and the man later died in hospital.

Before the attack at the football party, the perpetrator had killed a 23-year-old man in a nearby apartment block, according to police. The police did not provide any further information about the victim.

The man’s motive needs to be “further clarified,” said public prosecutor Frank Baumgarten on Sunday. He announced that he would be questioning witnesses and people close to the perpetrator in detail.

According to current information, he sees no evidence that the two officers’ shots at the attacker were unlawful, Baumgarten said.