Processes
Knife attack on girl: 34-year-old in court
A verdict could be made at the end of October. (archive image) photo
© Felix Kästle/dpa
A four-year-old goes shopping with her mother – and is suddenly attacked by a man with a knife. Now the trial against the alleged perpetrator begins.
The native Syrian with a Dutch passport is suspected of having seriously injured the girl in a supermarket. According to police, it was a sudden attack with a kitchen knife. The child was taken to a clinic and operated on. According to police, the injuries were not life-threatening. The perpetrator and victim did not know each other. The four-year-old had been in the supermarket with her mother.
The man was known to the police
The suspected perpetrator was arrested shortly after the attack. After a detention order, the man was taken to a psychiatric hospital. A psychiatric report was also ordered. The case made headlines across the country. According to investigators, the man was known to the police.
A customer in the supermarket noticed what was happening, took the knife from the attacker and called the officers. The then 52-year-old was not injured. “The witness called the police and told us where the man was. That’s how my colleagues were able to arrest him,” a police spokeswoman reported.
Motive unclear
The motive and background to the crime are still unknown. The suspect initially did not comment on the allegations. Five days of hearings were scheduled for the trial until the end of October. According to the public prosecutor’s office, four witnesses will testify at the start of the trial.
If an application for security proceedings is made, proceedings will take place despite possible incapacity. The application replaces an indictment.