Brutal hammer attack on the ICE: Five injured after attack!

Brutal hammer attack on the ICE: Five injured after attack!

A brutal attack occurred on the ICE 91 from Hamburg-Altona to Vienna on July 3, 2025: A 20-year-old Syrian attacked several passengers with a hammer and an ax without warning. The incident, which took place at around 1:55 p.m., ended with five people injured, including the perpetrator himself, who suffered serious injuries. report24.news reports that the victims include a 51-year-old woman and her two sons, ages 24 and 15. A 38-year-old German passenger was also injured. Fortunately, the injuries are not life-threatening.

Passengers reacted quickly, pulled the emergency brake and stopped the train near Straßkirchen in Lower Bavaria. Around 430 passengers were evacuated from the train while a care center was set up on site. The attack ended when the perpetrator was overpowered by other travelers and was arrested by the police. What is particularly interesting is that the perpetrator is said to have prayed with a carpenter's hammer and shouted “Allahu Akbar” before the attack, which was reported by witnesses. However, this claim has not yet been officially confirmed. sn.at added, that investigators found evidence of three narcotics in the attacker's blood, possibly indicating drug-induced psychosis. The exact motives of the attack are still unclear.

The perpetrator's background

The 20-year-old is a refugee who has been living in Austria since 2021, where he received recognized protection status. Before the crime, he was known to the authorities and had two final convictions for serious bodily harm and attempted resistance to state authority. In May 2025, a procedure to revoke his asylum status was initiated as there were already concerns about his suitability as a person entitled to protection. report24.news reports that he is now being investigated for two counts of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm. The 24-year-old son of the Syrian family was able to hit the attacker in the head with a hammer to defend his mother and brother.

Deutsche Bahn expressed its horror at the incident, while Bavarian and Austrian authorities are investigating and working closely together. In this context, the exchange with the Central Office for Combating Extremism and Terrorism in Munich is also mentioned.

An alarming trend

Beyond the specific incident, the situation also highlights a worrying increase in violence against refugees in Germany. According to a report the Federal Agency for Civic Education 1,403 crimes against refugees were registered in the first nine months of 2023, most of them right-wing politically motivated. This aggressive attitude towards asylum seekers is often fueled by exaggerated fears and prejudices and calls the safety of refugees into question.

The investigations into the attack on the ICE and the background to it show that the security situation in train traffic is a highly sensitive issue, even if there is so far no evidence of extremism or radicalization of the perpetrator. However, the question remains as to how such violence can be prevented and what role social attitudes play in it.