In the case of the attack on a regional train from Kiel to Hamburg, in which a man killed two people and injured several, investigators say there is no evidence of a terrorist background.

The spokesman for the Itzehoe public prosecutor's office, Peter Müller-Rakow, told the German Press Agency on Thursday.

On Wednesday afternoon, a man stabbed several passengers while driving.

According to the information, the perpetrator is a 33-year-old stateless Palestinian.

He is to be brought before the magistrate in the afternoon.

Dozens of people witnessed the crime, brave passengers probably prevented worse.

The two victims of the attack are a 19-year-old man and a 16-year-old woman.

“One of the victims is female and one is male.

Everything else will follow during the day," said a police spokeswoman in Itzehoe on Thursday.

The identities of the two dead have also been clarified.

"We'll definitely say something today." The condition and severity of the injuries to the other victims was initially unclear in the morning.

Evidence that the attacker may be mentally confused

According to the police, the alleged perpetrator, a stateless Palestinian, was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

"The background is still unclear," said a police spokeswoman.

There were initial indications that the alleged attacker could be mentally disturbed.

The German press agency learned this from security circles.

According to preliminary findings, he had not been noticed as an extremist in northern Germany.

According to consistent media reports, the man is said to have made several police appearances and had multiple criminal records.

He has been investigated a total of twelve times since 2015.

He is said to have been imprisoned until six days ago and was last in custody.

Those present stopped the perpetrators 

According to the police, witnesses held the attacker.

Accordingly, the helpers managed to stop the suspect immediately after the crime until the emergency services arrived.

They "probably prevented the perpetrator from committing worse things," said Sütterlin-Waack, and thanked those who were "brave enough" to "oppose the perpetrator."

A press conference with Sütterlin-Waack and a senior police officer is expected this Thursday morning.

The railway set up a hotline for those affected and their relatives on 0800 0007554.

At the time of the attack, around 120 people were on the train, according to a police spokeswoman in Itzehoe.

"It must have been a very big mess." About 70 witnesses were questioned and cared for by the police at a nearby inn.

As a dpa reporter reported in the evening, the train was driven away from the station in Brokstedt hours after the crime.

The forensics team was deployed with several forces.

Forensics officers in white protective overalls worked at a level crossing with open barriers.

witnesses on the train

A woman from Bad Bramstedt was waiting for her daughter a few meters from the train station.

The 18-year-old student was returning from the university in Kiel by train.

"She saw a person stab someone four rows in front of her," the mother said.

She is currently unable to speak to her daughter, only write, said the visibly moved woman.

The daughter is still waiting to make a statement to the police.

The young woman was unharmed.

"But I think she's doing badly.

What kind of people do that?” said the mother.

"All our thoughts are with the victims of this terrible act and their families," tweeted Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), speaking of "shattering news."

Schleswig-Holstein's Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) spoke of a terrible and senseless act that cost the lives of two people.

"Schleswig-Holstein is mourning - it's a terrible day," said Günther in Kiel.

To commemorate the victims, mourning flags will be displayed in the state this Thursday, the flags will be flown at half-mast.

Small signs with numbers distributed on the platform testified to the terrible events that had taken place on the train shortly before.

Investigators walked the platform with cameras where the regional train was standing.

A bakery just a few meters from the train station served hot drinks and baked goods to rescue workers and passengers.

"It goes without saying for us," said one saleswoman.

Around 3 p.m., the police had received several calls from passengers.

The train was stopped upon notification, after which the events had shifted to the platform, according to the spokeswoman.

The crime happened just before 3 p.m. before the train arrived at Brokstedt station in the Steinburg district.

Brokstedt is a small community on the railway line between Elmshorn and Neumünster.

State Interior Minister Sütterlin-Waack said that she was "in her thoughts with the families and relatives of the victims" and thanked "the police officers who arrested the perpetrator and all the rescue workers who took care of the injured".

Federal and state police worked closely together.

"For me it is clear that the horrible act is against all humanity."

According to the railways, train traffic between Flensburg and Hamburg and between Kiel and Hamburg was impaired for several hours.

In the evening, the police announced that the investigation was ongoing.

The police measures have been completed on site in Brokstedt, and the train has now left the station.

The identities of those killed and injured are still "not certain beyond a doubt".