Attack in Park: What is known about the crime in Aschaffenburg

Authorities, politicians and people beyond Aschaffenburg are concerned with a multitude of open questions the day after a man attacked people with a knife who apparently did not know him. A two-year-old boy and a 41-year-old man died. Three other people, including a two-year-old girl, were seriously injured and taken to hospital. Politicians are now pushing for quick clarification.

What is the status of the investigation and what is known about the perpetrator?

A few minutes after the crime, the police arrested a 28-year-old Afghan man as the suspected attacker. He will be brought before an investigating judge later in the day, who will decide whether to place him in a psychiatric hospital or in pre-trial detention. According to initial findings, he is said to have deliberately and suddenly attacked a kindergarten group in a park with a kitchen knife. A 41-year-old passerby is said to have intervened and was injured by the perpetrator. He later died from his injuries.

What are the investigators focusing on now?

“Everything is still in flux,” said a police spokesman in the morning. All information is now being compiled, both on the condition of the three seriously injured people and on the life of the suspected perpetrator. “We’re sorting that out right now.” Nothing has yet been made public about the 28-year-old’s marital status or profession. He most recently lived in an asylum accommodation in the region.

In addition, the course of the crime must be reconstructed – with the help of secured traces from the crime scene, from witnesses as well as images and video material that bystanders may have taken of the event.

The three seriously injured people – a two-year-old girl from Syria, a 72-year-old man and a 59-year-old teacher – were taken to hospital after the crime. It was not initially clear whether anyone would be able to leave the clinic today.

Why was the perpetrator still in Germany?

Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) gave several possible reasons for this. On the one hand, a so-called Dublin procedure for the 28-year-old was not completed in time. This procedure is part of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and serves to clarify the question of which European state is responsible for the asylum application of a person seeking protection. In most cases, this is the country where the refugee first set foot on EU soil.

It was only a few weeks ago, at the beginning of December, that the man himself announced to the authorities – also in writing – that he wanted to voluntarily return to Afghanistan, said Herrmann. He wanted to take care of the necessary papers at the Afghan Consulate General. This step ended his asylum procedure and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf) asked him to leave the country. He was therefore obliged to leave the country.

Whether there was a deadline within which he would have had to leave Germany remained unclear – as did the question of what role his apparently ongoing psychiatric treatment played in the timing of his departure. One thing is clear: Despite his announcement, the 28-year-old remained in Germany until the attack in the park.

It is not yet known whether he managed to obtain the necessary travel documents.

What is known about the motif?

Nothing is certain yet. But the investigators are primarily investigating the suspicion that the man’s mental illness could have been the cause. According to Herrmann, the man had been noticed for acts of violence at least three times before the attack. Each time he was admitted for psychiatric treatment but was later released. During a search of his accommodation, investigators also found medication for the treatment of mental illnesses. According to Herrmann, the investigators found no evidence of an Islamist motive.

What does the act mean for the election campaign?

It is quite possible that such a terrible act a month before the federal election will also raise political questions and, above all, help the parties that promise to reduce migration and more deportations in the election campaign. Especially since many voters are still under the impression of the death drive in Magdeburg, where a man from Saudi Arabia killed six people and injured almost 300 people in a car at a Christmas market.

The fact that Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) summoned the heads of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Police to the Chancellery that evening is in any case unusual.

The next federal government – regardless of the newly formed coalition – will certainly have to address problems that have been unresolved for years: Why do Dublin transfers fail even in states that are cooperative during the takeover? How can we ensure that data exchange and official measures work when it comes to people who make threats and commit violent acts but are not observed as extremists? Is the federal division of labor between the Bamf, the state authorities and the local immigration authorities still appropriate when it comes to processing difficult or urgent cases?