The right side of the white Skoda was deeply dented in the impact, the driver had to be freed by the fire department and is still in hospital with serious injuries: One day after the driver of a BMW caused a serious collision in Darmstadt, Hesse, the Hessian State Criminal Police Office (LKA) and the Darmstadt Public Prosecutor’s Office provided information on the background in a joint statement on Tuesday.
After his arrest, the driver reportedly said that the “Almighty” had ordered him to do it. The State Criminal Police Office therefore conducted the investigation “also with a view to a possible politically or religiously motivated background.” However, the investigations to date have not revealed “any indications” that the accused actually committed the crime based on such a motive.
The authorities confirmed information from WELT, according to which there have since been indications of a possible mental illness. According to reports, a possible connection with a personal event prior to the trip is also being investigated. “The exact course of events and the motive are currently the subject of investigations,” the police and public prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Driver in Pre-trial detention
According to witnesses, the 24-year-old driver who caused the collision was driving at high speed on Frankfurter Landstrasse in the Darmstadt district of Arheilgen on Monday. He ignored red lights and the car veered off the road onto the sidewalk. Passers-by were able to get to safety. According to current investigations, the BMW drove into the white Skoda at an intersection shortly before 12 noon and came to a stop in front of an empty shop.
The Darmstadt District Court ordered the man to be remanded in custody on Tuesday. The public prosecutor’s office accuses him of having “willingly accepted” the risk of injuring or killing innocent people during his journey.
Apartment searched
Regarding a possible motive for the crime, the State Criminal Police Office initially only announced on Monday evening that “intentional action cannot currently be ruled out”. Security sources said on Tuesday morning that the driver – according to information from WELT, a German with Afghan roots – said after his arrest that he had acted “on behalf of Allah”. Now the authorities have clarified that the man said that the “Almighty” had ordered him to do so.
According to the police and the public prosecutor’s office, mobile phones, storage media and documents were seized during a search of the 24-year-old’s apartment on Monday. The evaluation is still ongoing. According to information from WELT, no evidence has been found so far that could confirm the suspicion of a possible Islamist motive. According to the police, a breathalyzer test on the accused showed no evidence of alcohol consumption. The results of the blood sample are still pending.
According to authorities, the 29-year-old Skoda driver suffered serious head injuries, among other things, in the collision. His health is currently “stable.”
