The mother of the children was also injured in the attack.
An eight-year-old child has been ‘critically injured’ and three others seriously hurt in a knife attack in Germany, sparking a large-scale police manhunt.
The young victim, who was reportedly the most severely wounded, suffered “15 to 20 cuts and stab wounds all over the body and head.” with life-threatening injuries not being ruled out, according to wa.de.
Police are understood to have released images of a 20-year-old man they wish to question in relation to the attack, which also injured the mother of the children.
A spokesperson for the Dortmund public prosecutor’s office warned against approaching the man directly, stating: “Anyone who sees him should immediately call the police on 110. It cannot be ruled out that he is armed.”
The assault allegedly took place in a flat on ZentrumstraĂźe in Bergkamen-Weddinghofen. The police report that the 26-year-old female resident and her four children, aged between 3 and 8, were seriously injured by stab wounds and slashes.
“The suspect, whose name is known to the police, fled the scene in an unknown direction,” the statement reads. He is described as being 1.85 meters tall, slim, dressed in dark clothing, wearing a white hat, glasses and sporting a “three-day beard”, reports the Mirror.
