Vienna – Austria: Knife Attack On Train Wounds 2

Vienna – A knife-wielding man attacked passengers early Tuesday on a train in western Austria, seriously wounding two, police said.

The assault occurred near the village of Sulz, in westernmost Vorarlberg province. Police say the attacker, a 60-year old German national, appeared mentally confused.

A 19-year old man suffered wounds to the stomach and back. The other victim, a 17-year old male, had a throat injury. Both were hospitalized.

A man attacked passengers on a crowded Swiss train with a knife and burning liquid Saturday, in an assault that left him and one of his victims dead. Vorarlberg police were searching for a motive but said that at this point there appeared to be no links between the two attacks.

Police said the 19-year old was the first victim in Tuesday’s incident, with the perpetrator lunging at him from a facing seat. He then attacked the 17-year old as the train slowed to a halt at Sulz, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) east of the Swiss border

The attacker was apprehended at the stop by two police officers who used pepper spray to subdue him, police said. A 22-year old passenger who helped police suffered minor cut wounds to the hand.

Such attacks reflect the difficulties of policing Europe’s labyrinthine transport system, particularly against individuals with unsophisticated weapons.

Last month in neighboring Germany, a 17-year-old refugee from Afghanistan with an ax and a knife wounded four tourists on a train, and stabbed a woman as he fled. The attacker was shot and killed by police. All his victims survived.

In May at a train station in the German state of Bavaria, a 27-year-old German man who had been in psychiatric care stabbed commuters, killing one and wounding three others before being apprehended by police.

Last year, a heavily armed gunman opened fire on a high-speed Amsterdam to Paris train but was overpowered by two young American servicemen and their companion.