Saxony After rampage: perpetrator has to go to a psychiatric ward for the time being
Following the rampage in Leipzig's city center, the district court has ordered the perpetrator to be placed in a psychiatric hospital for the time being. The 33-year-old German is accused of two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder, according to the Leipzig public prosecutor's office.
05.05.2026, 18:35
SDA
According to investigations to date, there are urgent reasons to believe that the accused committed the crime "in a state of at least significantly reduced culpability", the statement said. Following the application of the public prosecutor's office, the district court considered his temporary placement in a psychiatric hospital to be necessary for public safety. According to the findings to date, it is likely "that the accused will commit further significant unlawful acts of comparable severity due to his condition".
Two people died in the rampage
According to the police, the German had driven into Grimmaische Strasse, one of the city's central shopping streets, in the city center at around 4:45 p.m. on Monday. He hit several people with his car in the pedestrian zone. The driver then brought the car to a halt himself and allowed himself to be arrested without resistance.
Two people died as a result of the rampage - a 63-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man. According to the public prosecutor's office and the Leipzig police, six people aged between 21 and 87 were injured, two of them - a 75-year-old man and an 84-year-old woman - seriously. In addition, more than 80 people had to be cared for after the incident.
Perpetrator still in psychiatric hospital a few days ago
According to the investigators, the 33-year-old perpetrator lives in the Leipzig region and had been undergoing inpatient treatment in a psychiatric facility a few days earlier. As the Ministry of Social Affairs in Dresden confirmed, he had been in the clinic voluntarily at his own request and had been released at the end of April. He had already come to the attention of the police, among other things, for threats and defamatory offenses in his social environment. These were incidents without physical violence, such as insults or insults.
There is still no definite information about the background to the crime. According to the investigators, there are no indications of a political or religious motive.
The shopping street in Leipzig's city center has since been reopened to passers-by. However, most of the stores along the street remained closed for the time being. According to the city, the street will be structurally secured at the affected location.
