Aschaffenburg Attack Suspect to be Permanently Committed to Psychiatry

The public prosecutor's office in Aschaffenburg has applied for the permanent psychiatric commitment of a man accused of a brutal attack in a local park. The incident, which occurred on January 22, resulted in the tragic deaths of a two-year-old boy and a 41-year-old man, while three others sustained serious injuries.

The suspect, an Afghan national, was apprehended shortly after the attack and is currently held in a psychiatric hospital under provisional measures. The prosecution has submitted a request to the Aschaffenburg District Court for a secure psychiatric procedure, indicating that the defendant is facing multiple charges, including murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, and various counts of bodily harm.

Authorities have pointed to potential mental health issues, noting that the suspect was found to have psychiatric medications in his residence. A psychiatric expert has affirmed that the man likely suffered from a mental illness during the attack, which may render him legally incapacitated. Investigators have not uncovered any links to radicalization or extremist motives related to the crime.

The expert's evaluation suggests that the suspect's psychiatric condition is not temporary and warns of a high likelihood of future aggressive acts if he does not receive long-term treatment. Specific details regarding the nature of the man's illness have been withheld for privacy reasons.

The district court will decide whether to proceed with the secure psychiatric commitment, which entails indefinite detention in a closed psychiatric unit. Unlike traditional criminal proceedings, this process does not involve formal charges but still requires judicial review.

The suspect was already known to law enforcement prior to this incident due to several previous offenses, and he had been temporarily placed in psychiatric care on multiple occasions. Reports indicate that on the day of the attack, he specifically targeted a group of children, initially attacking a two-year-old boy of Moroccan descent who was sitting in a stroller. Witnesses describe a horrific scene as the suspect reportedly removed the child's hat and scarf before stabbing him multiple times with a kitchen knife.

After this attack, the suspect turned his aggression towards a two-year-old Syrian girl who was also in the stroller. A 59-year-old German kindergarten teacher attempted to intervene and was injured in the process, while a 41-year-old father, who was in the park with his own child, was fatally wounded while trying to assist the victims. A 72-year-old man who also tried to help survived despite sustaining multiple stab wounds.

In addition to the ongoing case, the prosecution is seeking to address a prior incident involving the suspect, where he allegedly threatened a fellow resident in an asylum shelter with a butcher knife, which went unreported at the time. This prior matter is now under review as part of broader investigations into the suspect's behavior.