Eighteen individuals sustained injuries following a knife attack at Hamburg Central Station in Germany on May 23, 2025, during the evening rush hour. The incident occurred at approximately 6:00 p.m. local time on the platform between tracks 13 and 14, where passengers were waiting for an Intercity Express train bound for Fulda, Germany.
Hamburg police apprehended a 39-year-old German woman named Lydia S. at the scene without resistance. Authorities, after reviewing surveillance footage, determined that she acted alone. The suspect had been discharged from psychiatric care at a hospital in Cuxhaven, Germany, just a day earlier, on May 22, 2025.
Four victims suffered life-threatening injuries, including a 24-year-old woman, a 24-year-old man, a 52-year-old woman, and an 85-year-old woman. An additional six people sustained serious injuries, while seven others had minor wounds. By May 24, 2025, all critically injured individuals were reported to be in stable condition at hospitals in the Hamburg area.
Witnesses reported seeing the attacker running through the crowded platform, shouting incoherently and moving her arms as if swimming. The knife was initially not visible to bystanders, who only realized the seriousness of the situation when the victims began to scream and clutch their wounds. Two passersby, reportedly of Syrian and Chechen nationality, assisted in subduing the suspect before police arrival.
Florian Abbenseth, a spokesperson for Hamburg police, stated there was no evidence of political motivation. “Rather, we have information, based on which we now want to investigate, whether she may have been experiencing a psychological emergency,” Abbenseth told journalists on May 23. Police confirmed they had “concrete evidence” indicating the suspect suffers from mental illness.
Since 2021, the suspect had been known to Lower Saxony police, having visited police stations multiple times, displaying clear signs of mental illness. According to officials from the Lower Saxony Health Ministry, she had been treated at a psychiatric institution in Cuxhaven for three weeks after being found in a state of helplessness in early May 2025.
A magistrate judge charged Lydia S. with 15 counts of attempted manslaughter in conjunction with dangerous bodily harm on May 24, 2025. These charges pertain to victims who suffered direct knife wounds of varying severity. The other three victims sustained injuries from shock or falls during the chaos. Hamburg prosecutors confirmed that the suspect confessed to her actions when she appeared before the investigating judge.
Hamburg Central Station, Germany’s second-busiest railway hub, processes around 550,000 travelers daily. It had implemented weapon bans in October 2023 and alcohol restrictions in April 2024 to counteract rising violence. Despite heightened security measures that led to the confiscation of over 500 weapons, including 350 knives, in 2024, the attack occurred during peak travel time on the Friday evening before the Pentecost holiday weekend.
Emergency services responded with approximately 410 police officers and 50 firefighters. Four tracks at the station were closed, causing significant delays and diversions for long-distance trains. Railway services resumed by 7:00 p.m., except for tracks 11 through 14 surrounding the affected platform. Deutsche Bahn officials expressed being “deeply shocked” by the attack.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz contacted Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher on May 23 for updates on the situation. Merz described the attack as “upsetting” and conveyed that his thoughts were with the victims and their families. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt shared similar sentiments, calling it “shocking when travelers are attacked in a treacherous and cowardly manner.”
The Hamburg incident is the latest in a series of knife attacks across Germany in recent months. On May 18, 2025, four people were injured in a stabbing at a bar in Bielefeld, Germany, with federal prosecutors taking over the investigation after the Syrian suspect claimed jihadist beliefs. In August 2024, a Syrian man killed three people and wounded eight others at a festival in Solingen, Germany, in an attack motivated by the Islamic State terror group.
Authorities in Hamburg had previously identified the central station as a hotspot for violent crime and drug activity. The facility’s security challenges persisted despite the presence of Quattro-Streifen patrols, a joint formation of Federal Police, State Police, Deutsche Bahn security, and Hochbahn security officers that started regular operations in spring 2023. While overall violence incidents decreased from 720 cases in 2023 to 546 in 2024, knife-related crimes increased from 12 to 23 incidents during the same period.
The suspect remains in psychiatric custody as investigations continue into her background and mental health history. Hamburg police confirmed the attack was captured on surveillance cameras, providing additional evidence for the ongoing investigation. The incident has renewed discussions about security measures at major transportation hubs and mental health support systems in Germany.
