BERLIN – Archyde.com
A Somali appeared before a German court, on Friday, once morest the background of the killing of three people and the wounding of others in a stabbing attack in the south of the country last June, as part of procedures to determine whether he should be detained in a closed psychiatric facility.
Investigators believe the man was mentally ill at the time of the attack in Würzburg, so the trial will determine whether he can be criminally charged.
He was charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder and aggravated assault. His lawyer, Hans-Jochen Schreppfer, said the suspect was suffering from a psychotic episode and “auditory hallucinations that prompted him to commit this horrific crime.”
The accident took place in a shopping center on Barbarossplatz Square, and the victims were three women aged 24, 49 and 82.
Four other women were injured, along with a girl who was 11 at the time and a 16-year-old boy. Three people were slightly injured.
The suspect is a refugee who has lived in Würzburg since 2015 and was arrested following being shot, police said.
The Munich prosecutor’s office says the man acted out of hatred towards Germany, where he says he has been treated unfairly.
