Driver who rammed pedestrians in Germany charged with murder

People pay their respects at the site of Tuesday's incident in Trier

Credit: RONALD WITTEK/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock/Shutterstock 

A man who killed five people including a baby when he drove into a crowded pedestrian street in the west German city of Trier was charged with murder on Wednesday.

The 51-year-old has not been named by authorities under German privacy laws, but local media have identified him as Bernd Walter W, a German national.

There was speculation ahead of Wednesday’s hearing that he could be committed to a secure psychiatric facility amid reports of a history that suggested mental illness. But he was remanded in custody after prosecutors decided to press charges of murder, attempted murder, and dangerous bodily harm.

“After a preliminary assessment of the findings, there is no concrete evidence to exclude criminal responsibility,” a spokesman for prosecutors said.

The man was brought before a judge dressed in a white protective forensics suit, his features hidden by a facemask and hood.

On Tuesday afternoon he ploughed his Land Rover Discovery into a crowded pedestrian area of central Trier in an apparent deliberate attack. Five people were killed, including a nine-week-old baby and her father, and 15 were injured.

Candles burning for the dead at Trier's Porta Nigra Roman gate

Credit: RONALD WITTEK/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock/Shutterstock 

He was drunk at the time of the incident, and had a blood alcohol level of 1.4 per thousand, but prosecutors are convinced this was more than just a drunken accident.

He drove around 1km (1,100 yards) through the pedestrian zone, swerving repeatedly in an apparent attempt to hit more people. The incident only came to an end when police rammed his Land Rover off the road and wrestled him to the ground.

The reasons for the incident remain unclear. Prosecutors say there is no evidence of political, religious or terrorist motives. According to local media reports, he has given confused and at times incomprehensible answers to police under questioning.

Meanwhile a picture of a disturbed past has begin to emerge. Bernd Walter W is said to have suffered alcohol problems and been in trouble with the police before. He was critical of local officials on his Facebook page, where he also posted misogynist content and the comment “Hurry, death is near” in recent days.

Greece on Wednesday expressed its grief after it emerged that two of the victims were German-Greek dual nationals from the same family, including a newly born baby.

A 45-year-old man and his nine-week-old daughter were killed in the incident. The man’s wife and a 17-month-old child survived and are being treated in hospital. The other victims, three women aged 25, 52 and 73, were all German nationals. None of the victims have been named.