Overview
- A 61-year-old man was attacked with a knife outside a pharmacy in Velbert and escaped inside the shop where employees gave immediate first aid.
- Emergency crews, including an air rescue helicopter, transported the injured man to hospital for emergency surgery and police later said his condition had stabilized.
- Officers detained a 30-year-old man reported to be a Syrian national after witnesses said he had been aggressive earlier at a nearby döner shop and had shouted incoherently on the street.
- The suspect was arrested nearby without resistance and is now in police custody while investigators question him and examine possible links to earlier incidents.
- Authorities say the motive remains unknown and investigators are continuing their inquiry against the backdrop of regional crime data that shows an overall slight fall in offences but a high clearance rate for violent crimes.