A young woman has been killed in a horrific attack after being dragged onto a train track by a Sudanese migrant. Fatemah D., 18, was grabbed by 25-year-old Ariop A. and pulled in front of an oncoming train in Germany, to the horror of onlookers. 

The teenager was waiting on a platform at Wandsbek Markt subway station, part of the Hamburg U-Bahn line U1, when the stranger suddenly threw both her and himself onto the tracks, local police have said. The pair were struck by a train passing through the station at around 10.07pm on Thursday (January 29), and both were pronounced dead at the scene. Witnesses have said that the attacker was walking across the platform erratically before the fatal assault.

A bystander told a local outlet that the migrant had stumbled towards the victim before allegedly telling her, “I’ll take you with me”. He reportedly pulled her onto the tracks without warning, just seconds later.

According to investigators, there is no indication that the Sudanese man and the Iranian teenager were acquainted.

Local police said: “According to current information, law enforcement authorities have no evidence of any prior relationship between the individuals involved.”

However, according to Bild, authorities said the migrant had been arrested and then released just days before the attack.

He allegedly attacked police officers and was arrested over aggravated assault last week and also had a history of aggressive and violent offences, the outlet reported.

Local authorities confirmed that the man had previously entered Germany in mid-2024 through a humanitarian reception program. He reportedly held a valid residence permit and had been living in communal accommodation in Hamburg.

After the horrific attack, the German Red Cross crisis intervention team descended on the scene to provide psychological support to witnesses. The two bodies were removed from the station in wooden coffins, with police working at the station throughout the night. Police are continuing to probe the exact circumstances of the killing.