Wardening issued to the clinic over potential assault by an adolescent aged 13
A 13-year-old girl, who had been under continuous police surveillance due to threats towards law enforcement and alleged Islamist radicalization, is accused of launching a life-threatening attack on a caregiver in a locked psychiatric facility in Paderborn, Germany.
The incident occurred on August 16, 2025, in the kitchen of the psychiatric clinic. According to reports, during a brief absence of a security guard, the girl gained access to the kitchen area where a caregiver was present and stabbed the 24-year-old caregiver with a sharp object, causing life-threatening injuries. The caregiver has since stabilized.
The teenager had been under observation since June 2025, after police received concrete indications she planned to harm officers. However, due to her age, she could not be formally arrested. She was subsequently placed in a closed psychiatric ward in Paderborn after trying to harm police and uttering jihadist threats.
Authorities, including Bielefeld police and Paderborn prosecutor’s office, are investigating the attack as attempted homicide. Although they have not officially confirmed the girl's Islamist motive, they acknowledge her risk to others. The girl remains under inpatient psychiatric care, monitored by security staff, with police on standby outside to intervene if she tries to escape.
The Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe, the regional authority responsible for the clinic, has no comment on the incident. A representative of the clinic's operator will clarify the circumstances leading to the incident tomorrow.
It is reported that the girl allegedly stabbed the caregiver with a knife in the back. The police had previously warned the clinic about the risk of knives in the clinic's kitchen being used as a weapon.
The attack did not pose a danger to the general public, according to police and the Paderborn public prosecutor's office. The girl had attempted to escape from the apartment where she was living, under 24/7 police surveillance and pedagogical care, in July, injuring a police officer.
The 13-year-old girl had been under the focus of authorities as an Islamist threat for months. According to "Spiegel", the girl had indicated to contact persons that she wanted to kill someone before her 14th birthday. A homicide commission has been set up by the police to investigate the incident further.
- Mental-health therapies and treatments for the girl are crucial, given her continued threat towards law enforcement and alleged Islamist radicalization.
- The incident in the health-and-wellness sector, involving a stabbing at a psychiatric facility in Paderborn, Germany, raises concerns about safety and security within such institutions.
- The ongoing political question of how to handle young individuals suspected of terrorism and potentially dangerous behavior is highlighted in this case, with police struggling to formally arrest a 13-year-old girl due to her age.
- As authorities investigate the girl's attack on a caregiver in the context of war-and-conflicts, they must examine whether there was any influence from radicalized ideologies, given her alleged jihadist threats and Islamist motivations.
