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Defendant in Limburg: Even a year later, his motive is unclear
Photo: THOMAS FREY / AFP
In Limburg, Hesse, the trial has started against a man who is said to have deliberately hit several cars with a truck.
The indictment accuses the 33-year-old Syrian, among other things, of attempted murder, dangerous bodily harm and property damage.
18 people were slightly injured in the incident, including the 33-year-old.
Almost a year later, the Syrian's motif is still unclear.
The man's lawyer announces a statement from his client.
However, it is not that far this Wednesday.
The psychiatric expert could not come to the hearing;
he should be present during the declaration because he needs the information for his report.
The expert opinion is important: The public prosecutor's office assumes that the 33-year-old was at the time of the crime to a lesser extent because of the consumption of marijuana.
In the room is the man's placement in a rehab facility.
And so the defendant's testimony is postponed to the next day of the trial on September 25th, when the psychiatrist should also be there.
"It was a scuffle with the driver's door open. I thought two truck drivers were arguing."
Pensioners in court
The Limburg Regional Court therefore first hears some of the many witnesses of the crime.
Among them is a pensioner who, while driving past, saw the defendant hijack the truck near the court at around 5:20 p.m.
"It was a scuffle with the driver's door open," he says.
"I thought two truck drivers were arguing."
Shortly thereafter, the truck drove off and rammed his car, it was thrown a few meters.
The driver of a pickup truck was initially able to flee.
"He came up to me very quickly," he recalls.
He accelerated and drove around the bend - but had to stop at the traffic lights on the main road because of the stationary cars.
The truck rammed the pickup truck, and the driver and his passenger suffered bruises.
A total of 13 vehicles were damaged in the act.
(Read an eyewitness account here.)
This includes the car of five budding federal police officers.
They were on their way to the gym after work, chatting in the car.
"Suddenly there was a blow," one of them said in court.
Two cars were pushed against their car, then the truck scratched the entire passenger side.
Shocked and slightly injured, they got out.
One believed it was an accident, another suspected a terrorist attack.
The actual driver of the hijacked truck came running and shouted that he had been pulled out of his vehicle.
The defendant, looking confused and shaken, was walking around on the street, shouting "Allah" over and over again, rattling the door of a stationary car in the opposite lane and apparently got a punch in the face from the driver.
A colleague of the five police officers happened to be jogging by, believed in an accident and therefore wanted to help the alleged perpetrator.
He is said to have attacked her thereupon.
"And then another woman appeared out of nowhere on the street and spoke to him. He knelt down and held on to her clothes," one of the witnesses describes the seemingly surreal event.
"It looked like he was going to kiss her feet."
After all, he prayed.
His eyes were glassy, apparently he was in a state of shock.
He was taken care of in an ambulance shortly afterwards and arrested.
Since then, the man who came to Germany as an asylum seeker in 2015 has been in custody.
Before the crime, he had been noticed with drug offenses and violent crime.
Eight days of negotiations are scheduled until the end of October.
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sen / dpa / AFP
