Who is the man? Driver killed in Mannheim leaves mysterious note in his car

Germany is shaken by another death drive into a crowd of people - this time in Mannheim. This is what is known about the alleged perpetrator.

On Monday, a man drove his car into a crowd of people in the center of Mannheim. An 83-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man were killed and eleven other people were injured, some of them seriously.

The alleged perpetrator is Alexander S., a 40-year-old German citizen from Ludwigshafen in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. According to the police, he worked as a landscape gardener and lived alone. In the past, he had a criminal record for minor offenses such as assault, drunk driving and incitement to hatred, but was not known to be involved in extremist or terrorist activities.

After the crime, Alexander S. tried to flee, but was pursued by a courageous cab driver who finally stopped him. During his arrest, the perpetrator injured himself in the mouth with a blank-firing pistol. He was then taken to hospital, where he is currently being treated in a stable condition.

Mysterious note in the car

In the perpetrator's vehicle, investigators found a handwritten note with mathematical calculations on the stopping distance of a car as well as a sketch of a vehicle and a person with the words "Dani brakes" written on it. These clues indicate that the perpetrator may have planned his crime.

The investigation is currently focusing on a possible mental illness of the perpetrator, as there are indications of corresponding problems. A religious or extremist background is currently being ruled out by the authorities.

MMA, whiskey and animal videos

According to his activities on social media, Alexander S. is a fan of mixed martial arts fighter Connor McGregor and Terminator actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, as reported by Focus. He also posted photos with whisky, beer and a cigar and shared numerous animal videos. His profile photo is also said to show a dog. However, he hardly ever made any political statements. In 2020, however, he is said to have commented on a video in which a swastika is painted over on a house wall with "saugeil".

The incident in Mannheim is one in a series of similar events in Germany in which vehicles were used as weapons. Just a few weeks ago , a similar act took place in Munich.