FRANKFURT; MAN WHO PUSHED 8 YEAR-OLD BOY UNTO TRAIN YET TO SAY WHY

 

Frankfurt Main Train station

The man who pushed a woman and her 8 year-old son unto train tracks at Frankfurt Train station Monday has so far refused to talk about his motive.

An 8-year-old boy was killed on Monday when a man shoved him in front of a moving train entering Frankfurt's main station, German police said.

 The boy's mother was also pushed from the platform, but was able to roll to the side and save herself. 

According to police, witnesses said the attacker also tried to push another person onto the tracks as the Intercity Express train was approaching, but the would-be victim managed to avoid falling onto the track. 

The suspect was chased through the station by passengers who managed to tackle him to the ground. Police later confirmed a 40-year-old African man had been arrested.

The incident happened at about 10am on Monday on platform seven of the station, which is one of Germany’s busiest. The boy’s mother was being treated for shock, according to a police spokeswoman.

 German law enforcement authorities said the 40-year-old man did not know the victims, and has so far refused to speak about his motive. Police said that an investigation is underway, and video footage of the incident will be examined. 

The suspect initially fled the scene and managed to exit the station, but by-standers held him up outside the building. 

The killing prompted a "massive [police] deployment" at Frankfurt's central train station, a police spokeswoman said. Firefighters were also at the scene. Authorities closed six of the platforms for several hours, causing train delays and cancellations.

Commenting on the incident, the premier of the state of Hesse, Volker Bouffier, said he was "stunned" by the "revolting act."

The latest tragedy comes only nine days after a 28-year-old man allegedly pushed a 34-year-old mother into the path of an oncoming train in the northwest town of Voerde, killing her.

The two incidents are likely to trigger a debate over increasing security at German train stations. On Tuesday, Martin Burkert, a Social Democrat (SPD)  focusing on transport policy, told Germany's mass circulation newspaper Bild that there was not enough supervision on Germany's train platforms, and that train stations lacked enough police.

With Agency Reports