A 20-year-old man threatened an attack in an ICE train from Cologne to Frankfurt and lightly injured twelve passengers. He threw pyrotechnic devices, leading to his arrest in Siegburg. The background of the incident remains unclear.
In an InterCityExpress (ICE) train from Cologne to Frankfurt/Main, a 20-year-old man threatened an attack on Thursday evening. According to Siegburg police, he threw pyrotechnic devices filled with plastic balls that exploded. Twelve passengers suffered light injuries such as blast traumas, which were not life-threatening, a police spokesman said.
The federal police confirmed they were so-called Softair firecrackers. The man had locked himself in a train toilet beforehand and thrown the devices into the aisle, witnesses and media like 'Bild' reported. He was shackled and arrested at Siegburg station; police found a knife in his backpack. The 'Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger' described him as masked.
The train was evacuated, with passengers including luggage disembarking and receiving assistance from firefighters. Deutsche Bahn had the train inspected as a precaution while the affected track was closed.
The incident disrupted services between Hennef (Sieg) and Troisdorf. Affected were Regional Express line RE 9 and S-Bahn lines S 12 and S 19, potentially causing delays and cancellations, as reported by zuginfo.nrw. Many holiday travelers were on board shortly before Easter.