Murder of a gas station cashier in Idar-Oberstein: witnesses had to see the crime

According to the latest information, there were several witnesses who are said to have seen the murder of the 20-year-old petrol station cashier.

Meanwhile, the criticism of the AfD in connection with the act is getting louder.

Idar-Oberstein - Germany has been dealing with the murder of a young petrol station employee in Idar-Oberstein in Rhineland-Palatinate for days.

A 20-year-old Aral employee was killed there on Saturday evening by a 49-year-old customer of the gas station with a shot in the head.

According to the current state of investigation, the fatal attack is said to have been triggered by a dispute over wearing a corona mask.

The German, previously unknown to the police, is now in custody on suspicion of murder.

Murder in Idar-Oberstein: eyewitnesses help the public prosecutor's office to investigate

As the public prosecutor in Bad Kreuznach announced today to the German press agency, the murder is said to have been observed by eyewitnesses.

The public prosecutor's office did not want to provide any further information about the witnesses who had been on site.

The investigation into the murder in Idar-Oberstein is still ongoing.

According to the public prosecutor's office, these will continue for weeks.

"Now we have to get a clear picture for ourselves," said Chief Public Prosecutor Kai Fuhrmann.

The investigations are currently focusing on the origin of the murder weapon and that of the other weapons that were seized from the 49-year-old man.

He owned them illegally.

In addition, the investigators focus particularly on the perpetrator's activities on social media.

Shot after discussion: perpetrator was looking forward to "the next war"

According to a spokesman for the Trier police headquarters, a lot of information was received in this context.

According to research by the news magazine

Spiegel

and the think tank CeMAS, which specializes in conspiracy ideologies, the perpetrator was noticed two years ago with violent fantasies that he had spread via his Twitter account.

In September 2019, he tweeted: “I'm looking forward to the next war.” According to assessments by the CeMAS think tank, the perpetrator shared right-wing channels and is a supporter of various conspiracy theories.

Jan Böhmermann also initiated an analysis of the perpetrator's use of social media, drawing particular attention to the profiles that the 49-year-old followed on Twitter.

Among these were various AfD top politicians, CDU Bundestag candidate Hans-Georg Maaßen and Julian Reichelt, editor-in-chief of 

Bild

. 

Serious allegations against AfD: Chairman rejects any guilt from the party

AfD boss Jörg Meuthen, meanwhile, in an interview with the ARD capital studio, rejected all allegations that the perpetrator could be linked to his party.

Meuthen described it as "absurd" to establish a connection between the AfD and the murder in Idar-Oberstein.

Meuthen described the perpetrator as a “crazy madman”.

Other politicians assess the connection between the AfD and above all the "lateral thinkers" movement and the murder differently.

Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet (CDU) accused the "lateral thinkers" and the AfD of stirring up hatred.

One consequence must be that the AfD disappears from German parliaments.

Both the AfD and the “lateral thinkers” would spread hatred against minorities in the German Bundestag and on the Internet.

“In the end, hatred on the net is followed by the evil deed,” says Laschet.

This was what happened in Idar-Oberstein, where a young man was murdered just because he reminded them of the obligation to wear a mask.

Murder in Idar-Oberstein as a "suspected case of right-wing violence"

The domestic policy spokeswoman for the FDP parliamentary group, Konstantin Kuhle, and the domestic policy spokeswoman for the SPD parliamentary group, Ute Vogt, are of a similar opinion.

Both see a clear connection between the politics of the AfD and acts of violence, as occurred in Idar-Oberstein.

The department for strengthening those affected and developing democracy in Rhineland-Palatinate has meanwhile also published an assessment of the murder.

She evaluates the act as "a suspected case of right-wing violence".

The comments made by the 49-year-old before and after the crime, which have become known so far, would point to a "resistance rhetoric", "as it is widespread in right-wing extremist and conspiracy-ideological milieus".

Disbelief and horror at the motive for murder

The motive for the deed triggers astonishment and horror across Germany.

The 49-year-old perpetrator told the public prosecutor that the current living conditions - the restrictions of the corona pandemic - had driven him to do this and that he wanted to "send a message" with the murder.

The young employee at the gas station had made him aware of the mask requirement and did not want to use him without wearing the face mask.

Shortly afterwards, he was shot dead by the 49-year-old.

According to the current state of the investigation, perpetrators and victims did not know each other.

(at / dpa)

List of rubric lists: © Christian Schulz / Photo Hosser / dpa / archive image