WURZBURG, GERMANY — A 17-year-old Afghan refugee attacked passengers with an ax and a knife on a commuter train in southern Germany before he was shot dead by police on Monday night.
Four passengers were injured, three of them severely, as the train traveled between the towns of Treuchtlingen and Wurzburg, Deutsche Welle reported, citing local authorities.
Four members of the same Hong Kong family were injured in the attack, according to the South China Morning Post. The severity of their injuries was unclear.
Fourteen passengers were treated for shock.
“[The attacker] suddenly attacked passengers with a knife and an ax, critically injuring several. Some of them may now be fighting for their lives,” Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said.
The assailant shouted “Allahu Akbar” (God is great), according to reports, but authorities said they could not confirm if the incident was an Islamist attack.
The attacker was shot dead by police after he fled the train.
The teenager had traveled to Germany unaccompanied to seek asylum and had been living with a foster family in the nearby town of Ochsenfurt for some time, authorities said.