The man who ran into pedestrians in Berlin on Wednesday did so on purpose. Mayor Franziska Giffey says he has “serious mental health problems”.
The 29-year-old man first hit passers-by on the corner of Rankestrasse, in the center of Berlin. He then drove into a shop window on Tauentzienstrasse about 200 meters away.
Among the hit by passers-by were children who were visiting the German capital with their school class. A teacher was killed and 14 others, including children, were injured.
The suspect has made several muddled statements, which have yet to be deciphered, Giffey tells the public broadcaster RBB† She speaks of a “black day in the history of Berlin”.
A police spokesperson told the news agency on Wednesday evening DPA that there are indications that the driver was suffering from “a psychological emergency”. However, he stressed that this is just one of the directions the investigation is going in and nothing is being ruled out yet.
Police are still investigating whether the posters with slogans about Turkey found in the car have anything to do with the man’s motive.
