Police are on the hunt for a man described as having a “North African” appearance who stabbed two 17-year-old girls in the German town of Erkrath in a robbery attempt.
The two girls were sitting on a sheltered bench on a remote dirt road when a car pulled up and a man demanded their handbags. When both victims refused, the man reacted by brutally stabbing them both, resulting in severe injuries to both victims.
The man then fled in a Mercedes silver-gray coupe. Despite their wounds, the two girls managed to call emergency services. Paramedics arrived on scene and transported the victims to the hospital, with one of them in critical condition.
According to the police, the man was accompanied by an accomplice who did not interact with the girls. They searched the area, including with a helicopter, but officers were unable to locate the perpetrators, according to German newspaper Welt.
A homicide squad is now on the hunt for the suspects in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with one of the men accused of attempted murder.
The attacker is described as being between 15 and 22 years old, 1.75 meters tall (5’9″), and of North African appearance.
The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) has already responded to the attack.
“Both victims are seriously injured, and one of the girls is now in danger of dying. Reports like these are unbearable, and they demand immediate and consistent action: Stop mass migration, punish perpetrators harshly and deport foreign criminals immediately,” wrote the party in a statement.
Germany has seen a surge in knife attacks and robberies in recent years.