Cops say suspect mentally unstable

A German woman accused of a mass stabbing attack that wounded 18 people at a train station in Hamburg suffers from mental illness, police said yesterday.

The suspect, a 39-year-old woman, is accused of going on a stabbing spree on Friday at the main station in Hamburg, stunning the northern city in the middle of the evening rush hour.

The woman has "very clear indications of a psychological illness", police said in a statement, without giving further details on her condition.

They added there were no signs she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the attack, which left four victims seriously wounded.

The woman was subdued by two passersby and law enforcement officers, then taken into custody at the scene without resisting arrest, police said.

She was due to appear before a judge later.

Police say they have ruled out a "political motive" for the attack and believe the suspect acted alone.

The victims range in age from 19 to 85.

The four in serious condition were a 24-year-old man and three women, aged 24, 52 and 85, police said.

Emergency officials initially said their wounds were life-threatening, but police say all the victims now appear to be out of immediate danger.

The attack took place just after 6:00pm (1600 GMT) Friday on one of the platforms in front of a standing train, German media reported.