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Germany: Trier car ramming trial begins

August 19, 2021

Man accused of killing five people in a deadly car ramming in the city of Trier is now on trial. A 9-week-old baby and her father were among those killed in the pedestrian zone in December 2020.

https://p.dw.com/p/3z9Gp
The defendant in the Trier car ramming trial stands behind security glass at a courthouse in Trier, Germany
The 51-year-old man is accused of intentionally driving his car into pedestrians in the December 2020Image: Harald Tittel/dpa/picture alliance

A 51-year-old German man went on trial Thursday for allegedly driving his car into pedestrians in the southwestern city of Trier in December 2020.

Five people were killed, including a nine-week-old baby. The accused is charged with five counts of murder and 18 counts of attempted murder.

The case is being heard in the Trier regional court.

What happened that day?

It was to be four minutes that would scar the German city of Trier.

On December 1, 2020, the accused allegedly drove his SUV through a designated pedestrian zone in a shopping district in Trier.

The vehicle is believed to have been traveling at speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour (around 50 miles per hour). The prosecution says this was a deliberate attempt to kill or injure as many people as possible.

At the time of the incident, investigators said the vehicle was being driven in a "zigzag pattern" with the aim of hitting nearby pedestrians.

The car traveled a few hundred meters through the city's cobbled streets.

The suspect was arrested when the vehicle came to a halt.

A 9-week-old infant and her father were among the victims of the incident that sent shockwaves through the country.

Accused's mental state in question

Police investigations have ruled out terrorism, politics or religion as a motive, calling into question the accused's state of mind.

It's understood the man has undergone an expert psychiatric evaluation ahead of the trial.

Judges will determine whether the man can be held completely liable for the events of that day, owing to his mental status. According to an expert evaluation, the man suffers from psychosis.

Emergency workers at the scene of the Trier vehicle ramming incident in December 2020
Judges will determine whether the 51-year-old accused can be held completely liable due to his mental state of mindImage: Sebastian Schmitz/lokalo.de/AP Photo/picture alliance

The indictment is expected to be read in court on Thursday during the first day of proceedings.


The trial is set to run until January 2022.

The tragic events brought back memories of the attack in Berlin, 2016, when a truck was driven through a crowded Christmas market, killing 12 people. The attacker in Berlin, Anis Amri, was shot dead by police while on the run in Italy.

kb/rs (AFP,dpa)