National day marred by knife attacks

This year's national day celebrations were marred by a night of knife-related violence, hospitalising five people.

The seemingly senseless violence began early on the eve of national day with a bar fight in a cafe near Luxembourg railway station.

An argument quickly escalated into violence, prompting one of the men to stab the other in the chest before fleeing the scene.

The festivities then remained calm for several hours until around 1.42am when a brawl involving 20 people broke out in rue St Ulric, in the Grund.

According to police, two men were knifed in the stomach and arm. Police were able to identify a suspect.

Two and a half hours later the train station was the backdrop for further violence when a man was knifed in the stomach by two offenders as he crossed the pedestrian bridge.

A half an hour later at 5am, police were called to the Pont Adolphe which, hours earlier, had been the backdrop for a peaceful and spectacular fireworks display watched by thousands.

This time, however, officers were confronted by a grisly scene in which a man had been stabbed in the chest with a knife. His attacker, described as aged 20 to 25 and wearing a red baseball cap, fled the scene.

As the sun was rising, there was one last victim of the night. Around 5.45am in Place de Metz an attacker hit a reveller in the face with an empty bottle when he refused to lend him his mobile phone. A suspect has been arrested in connection with the last incident.

In addition to the knife attacks, police were kept busy with efforts to maintain peace. During the celebrations they intervened in at least 12 separate fights in Luxembourg City.