A 24-year-old Macedonian citizen was seriously injured with a knife in a street fight between two groups in the German town of Bad Segeberg. According to German police, the incident happened on Saturday at around 4:20 in the morning on Kirchstraße, near the town square.

The script is familiar to anyone who has ever been out late: a verbal argument that turns into a brawl within minutes. In it, a 23-year-old Bad Segeberg resident, a German citizen, pulled out a knife and seriously wounded the young Macedonian. A 23-year-old Iraqi citizen was also injured.

It was passers-by who kept him alive. They and the people who rushed over first gave him first aid and tried to stop the heavy bleeding, and when police arrived, officers stabilised him with a medical dressing. He was taken to hospital by ambulance and underwent emergency surgery that same morning. The injury was initially described as life-threatening, but after the operation doctors said he was no longer in danger.

After the attack, three men - including the knife-attack suspect - fled by car. They were later found at a local clinic and temporarily detained: the 23-year-old suspect and two more German citizens aged 22 and 23. All three had minor injuries from the fight.

Emergency surgery for one, freedom for the others. On the orders of the Kiel prosecutor's office, blood samples were taken from all five people involved. Once the police procedures and identification were complete, prosecutors ordered the men released pending proceedings. Bad Segeberg criminal police are leading the investigation and appealing for witnesses.

Stories about young Macedonians in Germany rarely make it home - unless they end up in a police bulletin. Whether anyone answers for this attack will depend on German prosecutors. For now, the young man's family has at least one piece of good news: he is out of danger.