Bottrop and Essen car attack
Bottrop and Essen car attack is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
Bottrop
Bottrop
Essen
Essen
Bottrop and Essen car attack (North Rhine-Westphalia)
LocationBottrop and Essen, Germany
Date31 December 2018 and 1 January 2019
TargetPeople of foreign heritage
Attack type
Vehicular attack
WeaponsSilver Mercedes-Benz car[1]
Deaths0
Injured10[2]
AssailantsAndreas N.[3]
Motiveacute episode of paranoid schizophrenia

On 31 December 2018 and 1 January 2019, a car was intentionally driven into crowds of people in the cities of Bottrop and Essen in Germany, injuring ten[4] people.[5][6][7] First media reports suspected a terrorist background.[8] Later, the perpetrator was admitted to psychiatry and a surveyor certified that he is probably not guilty by reason of mental disease.[9]

According to the judgment of the court of December 2019, the act had no xenophobic or terrorist background, but was triggered by an acute episode of paranoid schizophrenia.[10]

Attack

On New Year's Eve, a 50-year-old attacker tried to hit a person with his car in Bottrop, but the man was able to avoid the vehicle. Minutes later, the man drove his car into a crowd of people at the Berliner Platz in Bottrop, injuring two men from Syria and Afghanistan, along with a woman and a child.[11] In Essen, the man tried again to drive into a crowd of people who were waiting for a bus. Police stopped the man on the Rabenhorst street. Upon his arrest, the man reportedly expressed xenophobic and racist motives.[12] The attacker is reported to have schizophrenia.[13]

Reaction

Herbert Reul, Minister of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia said about the attack, that the perpetrator "wanted to kill people of foreign heritage."[14]

Victims

In total, the perpetrator injured eight people, four of whom are a family from Syria, composed by two daughters aged 16 and 27 and the 48-year-old father who were slightly injured, and the 46-year-old mother who was critically injured and was operated. In addition, a 10-years-old boy also from Syria, a child of four years and a 29-years-old woman from Afghanistan were also hit and injured. The nationality and age of the eighth victim is unknown.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Germany: Man deliberately drives car at pedestrians". Deutsche Welle. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  2. ↑ "Amokfahrt von Bottrop: Fuhr Täter an weiteren Orten gezielt auf Menschen zu?". 23 January 2019.
  3. ↑ Haas, Daniel (2 January 2019). "Anschlag in Bottrop: Haftbefehl gegen Deutschen wegen mehrfachen versuchten Mordes erlassen" [Attack in Bottrop: Warrant issued against a German men for multiple attempted murders]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  4. ↑ "Amokfahrt von Bottrop: Fuhr Täter an weiteren Orten gezielt auf Menschen zu?". 23 January 2019.
  5. ↑ "Attacke in Bottrop: Autofahrer hatte die "klare Absicht, Ausländer zu töten"" [Attack in Bottrop: Car driver had "clear intention to kill foreigners"]. Spiegel Online (in German). 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  6. ↑ "Suspected far-right attacker 'intentionally' rams car into crowd of Syrian and Afghan citizens in Germany". The Independent. 1 January 2019.
  7. ↑ "Man drives into crowd in Germany, injuring 4 in apparent attack on foreigners, police say". Los Angeles Times. 2 January 2019.
  8. ↑ "Amokfahrt von Bottrop: "Klare Absicht, Ausländer zu töten" – Neue Details zum Täter" [Amokfahrt von Bottrop: "Clear intention to kill foreigners" – New details on the culprit]. Merkur (in German). 2 January 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  9. ↑ "Amokfahrer in psychiatrische Klinik eingeliefert" [Spree killer admitted to psychiatry]. Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 22 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
  10. ↑ Anschlag von Silvester: Täter muss in die Psychiatrie, FAZ.NET, 11. Dezember 2019
  11. ↑ Süselbeck, Kai (1 January 2019). "Amokfahrt in Bottrop: Ermittler sprechen von vier Tatorten". Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  12. ↑ "Silvesternacht in Bottrop: Mann fährt gezielt Fußgänger um - möglicherweise Anschlag". Spiegel Online (in German). 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  13. ↑ Zeit.de: "Die Gesellschaft liefert Futter für Hassfantasien"
  14. ↑ "Autofahrer hatte die "klare Absicht, Ausländer zu töten"". Zeit (in German). 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  15. ↑ Zahl der Verletzten in Bottrop und Essen erhöht sich, Zeit Online, 2: Januar 2019, Abruf 13. Januar 2019
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