At 13:45 on 1 December 2020, a man rammed pedestrians with an SUV at high speed in a pedestrian zone in Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, killing six people[2][1]—a 45-year-old man and his infant daughter; a 77-year-old man; and three women aged 25, 52, and 73[3]— and wounding 23 others.[4] The driver, who was alone in the car and had a blood alcohol content of 0.14%, was arrested at the scene.[2][5][6]
| 2020 Trier attack | |
|---|---|
  2020 Trier attack (Germany) | |
| Location | Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany |
| Date | 1 December 2020 13:45 |
| Target | Civilians |
Attack type | Vehicle-ramming attack |
| Weapons | SUV |
| Deaths | 6 (including one victim who died in 2021)[1] |
| Injured | 23 |
| Motive | Inconclusive |
The driver was identified as a 51-year-old local homeless man of German nationality. He was born in Trier and at the time of the attack lived in the car. Police do not think that he acted for political, religious or ideological motives, but for mental health problems mixed with the alcohol abuse. Investigators said that he wanted to kill and injure as many people as possible.[2][5][7][8]
Trial
editThe main hearing began on August 19, 2021, and ended on August 16, 2022, with a sentence of life imprisonment for murder in four cases, fourteen counts of attempted murder, each in conjunction with intentional dangerous interference with road traffic. In addition the defendant was ordered to be placed in a psychiatric hospital.
Because the Federal Court of Justice had partially overturned the Trier Regional Court's first judgment from August 2022, the new trial focused primarily on the defendant's condition in the period immediately before and after the rampage. According to a psychiatric expert, the defendant suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. However, he did not commit the rampage in a delusion, but consciously. According to witness statements, he had planned the killing spree and had taken care of the last things immediately beforehand.[9]
In 2024 the Landgericht Trier confirmed the verdict.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Sixth victim dies shortly before one-year anniversary of deadly rampage". RTL Today. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ a b c "Trier: Five die as car ploughs through Germany pedestrian zone". BBC News. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ "Greek Dentist And His 2-month-old Baby Girl Among The Victims Of Trier Car Attack". Greek City Times. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ "Amok-Fahrt von Trier: Polizei auf der Suche nach Antworten". Mannheim24 (in German). 8 December 2020. Archived from the original on 19 January 2021. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
5 Tote und 24 Verletzte [5 dead and 24 injured]
- ^ a b "German man arrested after driving car into crowd, killing 5". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ "Amok-Fahrt von Trier: Was wir über den mutmaßlichen Täter Bernd W. wissen". RTL.de (in German). 2 December 2020. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
1,4 Promille [1.4 per mille]
- ^ "Driver kills five in Trier attack, may have mental problems". luxtimes.lu. Archived from the original on 2 December 2020. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ "Trier car attack suspect charged, formally arrested". luxtimes.lu. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
- ^ tagesschau.de. "Erneuter Prozess: Lebenslange Haft für Amokfahrer von Trier". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 6 May 2024.
