American woman accidentally stabs man to death after he groped her at a German train station

The man was stabbed in the heart, and died almost instantly.

An American woman accidentally stabbed an East African man to death after he groped her at a train station in Germany.

The woman, 20, was standing on an escalator at Kaiserslautern train station, in the southwestern state of Rhineland-Palatinate, when the 64-year-old man grabbed her bottom on June 29, Bild reported.

The woman took out a folding knife and made a stabbing motion towards the man.

The woman, who lives in Germany told police she tried to keep the man at a distance, but when he backed away, she followed.

The man from Eritrea, a country in East Africa, grabbed her arm, and as the woman tried to free herself, she stabbed him in the heart “during the same movement”, according to prosecutors.

The incident happened at Kaiserslautern train station. Picture: Google

The man died at the scene.

The woman has been charged with causing bodily harm resulting in death and could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

In court she argued she acted in self-defence and did not intend to stab the man in the heart.

After reviewing CCTV footage, prosecutors believed the woman did not intentionally stab the man in the heart. She allegedly wanted to injure the man but not kill him.

After the incident, a search was launched for the woman, who soon turned herself in at a police station.

The American has since been released. Youth court is due to decide if it will accept the charge against the woman.