The city of Cologne near where the incident ended

AN IRISH man has been killed after a stabbing spree which left three people in hospital in Germany.

The man, believed to be in his 20s, hailed a taxi in the Dutch city of Heerlen, asking the driver to take him across the border to the German city of Aachen.

Instead of paying the driver, the man stabbed the 50-year-old - leaving him in a serious condition in hospital.

He then fled the scene, before coming across a German man parking his car.

He demanded money from the man, and when it became apparent the man had no cash on him he was also stabbed.

He then hailed down another taxi, asking to be taken to Cologne.

The driver received a warning about a dangerous man over his radio during the journey, however the warning was in German so the passenger didn’t understand.

The driver pulled into a motorway lay-by and offered the man the chance to stretch his legs – speeding off as soon as he left the car.

A Lithuanian truck driver in the car park was then attacked, and is now described as being in a critical condition in hospital.

The attacked then ran on to the motorway – before being struck and killed by a car driven by two British tourists.

German newspaper Spiegel initially reported the man to be Irish or British – however authorities have now confirmed Irish identity documents were found on the man’s body.

His fingerprints have been sent to Gardai in order to identify the man.

Online Editors