Status: 06/27/2021 12:27 p.m.
There are still many unanswered questions about the deadly attack in Würzburg. Investigators try to clarify the background and motive of the alleged perpetrator. Today the victims are to be remembered at a funeral service.
After the act of violence in Würzburg with three dead and seven injured, the investigators are still busy evaluating evidence and questioning witnesses. The aim is to reconstruct the exact course of events and to find out the attacker’s motive, said a police spokesman.
On the one hand, the investigators are investigating the suspicion that the 24-year-old Somali might be mentally ill. On the other hand, an extremist attitude could have been partly responsible for the knife attack by the man in the city center.
The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office is leading the investigation in cooperation with the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office. The officers examine a cell phone that was discovered in the Würzburg homeless shelter where the attacker lives. “Experience shows that the evaluations take several days,” said an official. “Now everything has to be translated and evaluated.”
The arrest warrant is for triple murder
When classifying the act of violence, State Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann did not rule out an Islamist motivation: “In any case, there are indications that it could be an Islamist attack,” he said.
According to him, a witness stated that the suspect had shouted “Allahu Akbar” (German: God is great) during the crime. Jihadists and Salafists often use this term like a battle cry.
Motive after knife attack still unclear: arrest warrant issued against the attacker from Würzburg
Albrecht Rauh, BR, daily topics 11:15 p.m., 6/26/2021
The police were able to stop and arrest the 24-year-old with a shot in the thigh after the attacks. He is now in custody. Public defense attorney Hanjo Schrepfer said the arrest warrant was for triple murder and sixfold attempted murder.
“Client possibly suicidal”
He thinks it is possible that his client could harm himself while in custody. “What I notice is that he is mentally abnormal,” said Schrepfer news agency dpa. The investigators obviously also see this danger. The responsible prison was informed about a possible self-endangerment, they said.
The alleged perpetrator is a Somali national, according to the police. According to the public prosecutor’s office, he is legally in Germany in the course of an asylum procedure. The man was already receiving psychiatric treatment for violent acts.
Customers died in the department store
The police were also able to provide more detailed information about the victims. Accordingly, three women died in a department store at the age of 24, 49 and 82 years. The suspect had suddenly attacked the victims who wanted to shop there with a knife that he had previously obtained from the household goods department.
In addition, the Somali slightly injured a 57-year-old man in the business. According to the investigation, the 24-year-old also attacked a 52-year-old woman in the shop. She was badly injured, but her life is out of danger. On the street in front of the department store, police officers found an 11-year-old girl and a 16-year-old teenager – both with serious injuries. There is no longer any mortal danger for either of them.
The perpetrator also slightly injured a 26-year-old woman – she was also found on the street. The man is said to have attacked another woman in a nearby bank. The 73-year-old was taken to hospital with serious injuries, but according to the police, her life is now out of danger.
A 39-year-old woman who was also attacked by the Somali is no longer in a life-threatening condition, according to the police. It was initially unknown where the man attacked this woman.
Afternoon memorial service
The city of Würzburg wants to commemorate the victims of the attack in the afternoon. There will be a commemoration in the city’s Kilians Cathedral in the afternoon. In addition to the Catholic Würzburg Bishop Franz Jung, representatives of other religions and the public also want to take part, as Mayor Christian Schuchardt announced.