Axe-wielding attacker leaves four injured in high-speed Germany train horror

A man has attacked and injured four people with an axe on a long-distance train in Germany, which had around 500 people on board at the time.

Eyewitnesses say the attacker was armed with both a hammer and an axe, before he was tackled for one of the weapons and overpowered by a hero passenger who prevented him attacking more people.

Munich police said the attack happened on the packed ICE express train between Straubing and Plattling in southern Germany, just as the German school holidays got underway.

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Police, firefighters and emergency crews were all sent to the scene and the railway line was closed down, as ambulances were scrambled, after passengers pulled the emergency stop brake onboard.

The attacker has since been detained and taken into police custody.

The axe-man's identity and motive for the attack have not yet been released to the public.

According to BILD newspaper in Germany, the incident happened on Thursday shortly before 2pm local time - about 3pm BST - on the ICE 91.

Some passengers are said to have pulled the train's emergency brake after the incident, and the ICE then came to a stop on the open track.

Eyewitnesses say the attacker was carrying both an axe and a hammer, before a train passenger allegedly stole one of his weapons and used it to stop the attacker.

Bavarian Red Cross spokesman Sohrab Taheri-Sohi told BILD: "As a result of a violent incident on an ICE train, a major emergency service and disaster control operation was initiated.

"According to current information, several people were injured as a result of the violent incident: One person suffered serious injuries, three others were moderately injured, and another person was slightly injured."

A spokesman for the German train company Deutsche Bahn said: "Our thoughts and sympathy are with the injured and all those who now have to come to terms with what they have experienced.

“We wish all those affected a speedy and full recovery."