Two women dead after violent street attack in German town of Goettingen

A suspect accused of killing two women in a street attack called police several times to ask after his victims during a 32-hour manhunt which scared the population in the region, police said on Saturday.

The suspect attacked a 44-year-old female acquaintance on Thursday afternoon in the western German town of Goettingen and she died of her injuries at the scene.

One of the victim's work colleagues who came to her aid also died from her wounds, police chief Thomas Rath said on Saturday. According to police, other locals also suffered injuries.

The colleague's death comes just hours after police detained the 52-year-old man suspected in the attack, who had eluded police for some 32 hours.

"It is a scary feeling when an alleged double murderer is on the loose," Rath said. The relief when the suspect had finally been arrested on Friday evening was great, he added.

The suspect had contacted a lawyer and asked for legal help, police said at a press conference. After the lawyer declined, the man fled again, this time by train, where he was recognized.

The man managed to escape arrest once more by breaking a train window before he was apprehended outside a restaurant in the university town.

While he was on the run, he called the police several times, borrowing mobiles from passers-by, asking after the victims and trying to negotiate. He was "slippery as an eel," police said.

According to prosecutors, the suspect had been previously convicted of rape. He had known his first victim.

The man had ambushed the woman, poured flammable liquid over her and lit her on fire, police said. When she tried to run away, he stabbed her. He also grabbed a fire extinguisher from a helper and hit his victim with it.

So far the alleged murderer has not talked about his motive. But one of the investigators told dpa that police believed he had been rejected by his victim. The suspect was remanded in custody.