Arrest after woman injures five in stabbing attack on bus in Germany

German police say a woman has been arrested after five people were injured in a stabbing on a bus in the country's west. Photo / 123rf

Five people have been injured, three of them critically, in a stabbing on a bus in the western German city of Siegen, police say. A 32-year-old female suspect has been arrested, police said. Another person suffered serious injuries, it said.

At least 40 people were on the bus travelling to a city festival in Siegen, located 75km east of Cologne, when the attack occurred at about 7.40pm on Friday (local time), according to the statement.

The incident comes one week after a fatal stabbing in the western German city of Solingen, where a knife-wielding attacker killed three people and injured eight.

The suspected perpetrator, a 26-year-old Syrian citizen, is in custody.

The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the crime although German authorities are still investigating the credibility of the claim.

Police in Siegen today appealed to citizens “not to spread false reports on social networks or other channels, and in particular not to make any reference to a terrorist attack”. There was no information suggesting such a motive, they added.

Police were still on site today. They said the crime scene had been cordoned off, evidence was being secured and witnesses were being questioned.