Passengers mill around at the Deutsche Bahn station in Landstuhl, Germany, on Feb. 4, 2026. A conductor for the German railway operator was killed earlier in the week by a ticketless passenger, who began punching the Deutsche Bahn employee in the head as the train was leaving Landstuhl. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

This story has been updated.

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — A 36-year-old Deutsche Bahn conductor was killed this week in a brutal attack by a ticketless passenger on a regional train leaving Landstuhl, Kaiserslautern police said in a statement Wednesday.

The employee, who was identified by German news agency Deutsche Welle as Serkan C., was assaulted Monday during a routine ticket inspection and died Tuesday. Crime victims in Germany are typically not identified by their full names.

A 26-year-old rider began punching the conductor in the head after he was to be removed from the train for failing to show a valid ticket, Kaiserslautern police said in a previous statement.

The suspect, who has not been formally named, is a Greek national who told authorities he lives in Luxembourg. He was arrested immediately after the attack, police said.

Landstuhl is home to the families of many U.S. service members and civilians, and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center is the largest Defense Department hospital overseas. 

The surrounding Kaiserslautern Military Community is the U.S. military’s largest overseas community.

A warrant issued by the district court in Zweibrücken says the suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted manslaughter, a charge that could be revised pending results of an autopsy.

A preliminary autopsy showed that the 36-year-old man died from blunt force trauma to the head, police said in a subsequent statement Wednesday.

Passengers alerted police and provided first aid until emergency services arrived, police said, noting the conductor had to be resuscitated on the spot.

A German soldier who administered first aid was thanked by Deutsche Bahn chief executive Evelyn Palla, Deutsche Welle reported.

The Deutsche Bahn station in Landstuhl, Germany, is shown Feb. 4, 2026, two days after an attack on a conductor for the German railway operator on a train leaving Landstuhl. The conductor died the following day, Kaiserslautern police said in a statement. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

The attack occurred around 5:30 p.m. on the RE 4131 regional train from Landstuhl in the direction of Homburg, the Zweibrücken public prosecutor’s office said in a statement Wednesday that provided more details.

The conductor began checking tickets shortly after the train left the Landstuhl station. Since the man, who was traveling alone, could not show a ticket, he was asked to identify himself and then leave the train, the prosecutor’s statement said.

The man then began punching the conductor in the head, according to the statement, which added that he did not use a knife or any other weapons.

Rheinland-Pfalz governor Alexander Schweitzer on Wednesday called for cooperation in ensuring improved protection for train staff and passengers.

“This act shakes the entire railway family,” Schweitzer said. “It is a terrible expression of the increasing aggressiveness (toward train associates). We mourn with them and stand by the employees of DB.”

Physical and verbal attacks on German train conductors have been increasing in recent years, according to Deutsche Welle.

Official figures from Deutsche Bahn, the country’s national rail operator, show an average of five staff members are physically assaulted daily, with four more on average facing threats, Deutsche Welle reported Wednesday.

A 2024 survey by the German railway and transport union, Eisenbahn- und Verkehrsgewerkschaft, found that eight out of 10 employees had been victims of verbal or physical abuse, with 36% saying they felt unsafe doing their job, according to Deutsche Welle.