A 39-year-old woman who stabbed 15 people at Hamburg Central Station on May 23, 2025, has been permanently committed to a psychiatric hospital, after a court ruled that she could not be held criminally responsible due to schizophrenia.
The attack occurred during the Friday evening rush hour, when the woman stole a knife from a drug store and attacked passengers waiting on the platform, seriously injuring at least four victims. She was subdued by bystanders and police officers.
Evidence presented during the trial indicated that she was suffering from delusions, believing the passengers intended to kill her. The woman had been homeless since October 2024 and was sent to a psychiatric hospital shortly after her arrest.
Prosecutors requested permanent psychiatric confinement, which was accepted by the defendant, and no appeal is planned.
The incident was part of a broader pattern of violent attacks in Germany in recent years, prompting authorities to tighten knife laws, including bans on carrying knives on trains and in specific areas such as Hamburg Central Station.
