After the fatal attack on the way to school on two girls in Illerkirchberg near Ulm, the alleged suspect remains silent on the allegations. The man relied on his right to refuse to testify, confirmed a spokesman for the Ulm public prosecutor's office of the German Press Agency. So far, the authorities have never noticed him committing violent crimes. The man from Eritrea was only caught once as a dodger and otherwise not known to the police.
The man attacked two girls on the way to school on Monday and seriously injured them, probably with a knife. One of the victims, a 14-year-old girl, later died at the hospital. An autopsy on the body will provide clues as to the exact cause of death. The other 13-year-old victim is being treated medically. But the girl's psychological situation is difficult, said the spokesman for the public prosecutor's office. In the meantime, it had learned that its girlfriend had been killed. The 13-year-old was injured so badly that in her case there may also be suspicion of attempted murder.
No evidence of mental impairment
The suspect was still in the hospital with serious injuries under police guard and operated on for hours. There is still no information on the motive. The public prosecutor's office is currently examining whether they have applied for an arrest warrant or whether there are indications of reduced or excluded criminal responsibility, which would possibly result in placement in a psychiatric clinic. The spokesman for the public prosecutor's office said in the morning that he had no evidence of any mental impairment.
After the crime, the man fled to a refugee shelter, which he is said to have come from before the attack. According to the information, there were two other men from Eritrea who the officials took to the office. It was initially unclear whether they could provide information about what was happening and the possible motives of the 27-year-old. The two men are now free again. The suspicion against the two men has not been substantiated, said the spokesman for the public prosecutor's office. A knife had been secured as a suspected crime and is now being investigated.
The crime could have a political dimension
"Now the public prosecutor's office and the police are investigating why the two girls were attacked and whether the suspect and the two girls knew each other beforehand," the authorities said. The act after which one of those attacked died could have a political dimension because an asylum seeker is considered a suspect here. Several AfD politicians responded to this on Monday.
"We will fully clarify this terrible act," announced the Baden-Württemberg Minister of the Interior and Deputy Prime Minister Thomas Strobl. The CDU politician wanted to visit the crime scene around noon together with the Turkish ambassador Ahmet Basar Sen. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the girl killed had German citizenship and a Turkish migration background. The ambassador came specially from Berlin by plane. At 12.30 p.m., the ambassador and Strobl wanted to meet the local mayor in the town hall on site, then gather for a minute's silence at the scene of the crime.
