Knifeman kills one and severely injures two more at Euro 2024 party in Germany before being shot dead by police
- Germany has deployed additional armed cops and border forces for Euros 2024
- Country still reeling from knifeman's rampage in Mannheim late last month
A knifeman killed one person and severely injured two more at a Euros party in Germany before being shot dead by police.
The 27-year-old Afghan national attacked an acquaintance with a 'knife-like object' at his flat in Wolmirstedt on Friday evening as Germans gathered in the streets to watch the start of the UEFA European Football Championship, police said today.
After fleeing the block of flats, suspect 'Soufian T' ran with bloodied weapon to a nearby allotment, brandishing the 10cm blade and threatening people, witnesses claimed.
As police rushed to the scene, the knifeman closed in on a quiet residential area where neighbours were sat out in a courtyard to watch Scotland play Germany in Munich.
He appeared to lash out at random, stabbing a 75-year-old man twice in the back and a 50-year-old woman in the chest, seriously injuring both of them, Bild reported.
The rampaging knifeman fled after launching a table at another guest, but was shot twice in the head by police as he tried to launch another violent attack their way.
Police officers walk near the apartment building in Wolmirstedt, Germany, Saturday, June 15
The suspect, named only as Soufian T in German media, is understood to have turned after getting into an argument with the acquaintance on Friday.
The 23-year-old, also from Afghanistan, arrived at the attacker's house in Wolmirstedt in the evening, some time before 9pm.
Soufian T is suspected of having stabbed him 'repeatedly' before the victim could crawl into the stairwell, where he died.
Graphic imagery shared in German media showed a large stain of dried blood on the third floor of the apartment block.
The man's body was recovered this morning, authorities pictured stretchering out a covered body.
The scene of the crime has also been sealed by police.
The suspect left the scene and walked towards Genossenschaftsweg street, where residents had gathered to watch the football.
He is understood to have entered a property where a party was happening and started attacking guests 'at random', according to Bild.
After attacking at least three people and leaving two with serious injuries, the suspect fled - but was soon caught by police.
Police said the assailant, still armed with the same object, attacked officers called to the scene.
Two of the officers shot and wounded the man, who died soon after in a hospital.
It is unclear whether the attack is being treated as terrorism-linked.
The Interior Ministry in Saxony-Anhalt state, which includes Wolmirstedt, said police had increased their presence across the state.
Germany announced it would carry out border controls at all of its frontiers during the Euros back in March to 'protect this major international event as best possible'.
The soccer tournament is taking place in cities across Germany and runs through July 14.
Authorities are focusing on protection against Islamic terrorism, hooliganism and cyberattacks, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told the daily Rheinische Post at the time.
Since then, attacks in France and Russia, and the threat of attacks on football stadiums by ISIS in April, has seen terror threat levels in Europe rise.
Temporary checks began on Friday in Germany, with hundreds of foreign officers drawn in from abroad to assist.
Police question a man for questioning in Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Faeser said she had no knowledge of 'concrete plans' to attack the tournament.
'We are arming ourselves against all conceivable dangers with the maximum commitment of the security authorities,' she added, ahead of its start.
Last month, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan attacked and killed a policeman in Mannheim.
The 25-year-old attacker, identified by local media as Sulaiman A., went on a stabbing spree as Islam-critic Michael Stuerzenberger spoke at an event advocating against the 'Islamisation' of Europe.
A police officer was left in critical condition after undergoing emergency surgery for several hours.
