Woman, 86, killed and two injured in knife attack at care home in Olfen, Germany

Left · 2An 86-year-old woman was killed and two other women, aged 81 and 83, were seriously injured in an alleged knife attack at the St Vitus-Stift retirement home in Olfen, in Germany's Münsterland region, on Friday 16 October 2026. 1 2 Left · 1Police and firefighters were called shortly after 7pm after reports of a violent incident, and two helicopters landed in the park in front of the home. 1 Left · 1Officers found the 86-year-old woman with severe stab wounds, and she died at the scene, according to a North Rhine-Westphalia police spokesman. 1

Left · 2A 72-year-old male resident was arrested in his room without resisting; the Mirror, citing Bild, says he attacked the victims in the cafeteria, while Metro says he uses a wheelchair and is reported to have stabbed one person in the neck. 1 2 Left · 2One of the injured women was flown to the University Hospital in Münster, according to the Mirror; Metro, citing Bild, says both were airlifted there. 1 2 Left · 2The 83-year-old was initially in a life-threatening condition; Metro reports police said by Saturday morning that her condition had stabilised, while the 81-year-old remains hospitalised. 1 2

Left · 1Metro reports that the man told investigators he washed the knife and put it in a drawer, where officers found it, and that local media say he told police he felt bullied for several years and sought revenge on other residents; these accounts are reported second-hand. 2 Left · 1He has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital under police guard and was due before a judge on Saturday, while a homicide unit investigates; Metro says it is unclear how he knew the women or where the knife came from. 2 Left · 1The home houses 77 elderly residents needing care and is attached to an assisted living facility with 36 barrier-free apartments and group homes for people with dementia; the Mirror says the foundation is operated by the City of Olfen. 1