A teenage Afghan refugee who hacked at passengers with an axe while shouting 'Allahu Akbar' on a train in Germany last night was an ISIS fighter, according to the terror group.
The 17-year-old, who was also found to have a hand drawn ISIS flag in his bedroom, was gunned down by armed police after fleeing from the scene near the city of Wurzburg, 70 miles north of Nuremberg in southern Germany.
As many as 19 passengers needed hospital treatment while two victims are fighting for their lives after being attacked with 'cutting and stabbing weapons'. Officials have said it was 'probably' an Islamist attack.
An eyewitness said the train, which had been carrying around 25 people, looked 'like a slaughterhouse' after the attack, with blood covering the floor.
Now the Amaq news agency linked to ISIS released a statement saying the Germany attacker was an 'Islamic State fighter.'
It said: 'The perpetrator of the stabbing attack in Germany was one of the fighters of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in answer to the calls to target the countries of the coalition fighting the Islamic State.'
It comes after it emerged that following a police search of the attacker's bedroom, an ISIS flag was found.
It is believed to have been discovered in the house he was living in with a foster family. He had only been staying there a fortnight.
It was confirmed by the Bavarian interior minister Joachim Hermann, who also said that two of those caught up in the attack were in a critical condition and that a Chinese family were among the injured.
He also said that the teenager came to Germany two years ago as an unaccompanied minor, and applied for asylum in March.
He lived in a home for teenage refugees until he was placed with the foster family.
Meanwhile an eyewitness, who declined to give his name, said he saw people crawl from the carriage and ask for a first-aid kit as other victims lay on the floor inside.
The onslaught started on the train from Treuchtlingen to Würzburg as the service stopped at Würzburg-Heidingsfeld.
As well as the two critically injured victims, one other passenger is believed to have non life-threatening injuries while 14 others suffered minor injuries or shock.
He added: 'The perpetrator was able to leave the train, police left in pursuit and as part of this pursuit, they shot the attacker and killed him.'
There were no further details on the circumstances of the teenager's death, and police declined to suggest what the motive was for the attack.
'At this time everything is possible,' the spokesman said.
Train services had come to a halt between Wurzburg-Heidingsfeld and Ochsenfurt and a police helicopter circled the area.
The Bavarian interior ministry confirmed that police had shot and killed the attacker and a special task force has been dispatched from Wurzburg. Police believe the attacker worked alone.
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