Overview
- The driver ran a car through Leipzig's central pedestrian zone on May 4, killing a 63-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man after a several-hundred-metre, roughly one-minute drive.
- Prosecutors say the 34-year-old deliberately accelerated to speeds up to 90 km/h and have charged him with two counts of murder, attempted murder in 85 cases and related traffic offenses.
- The trial opened with the indictment read and the defendant remaining in custody as the court scheduled roughly 28 hearing days through July to take testimony from psychiatric, traffic-analytic and forensic experts.
- Investigators say the suspect had recent voluntary inpatient psychiatric treatment, prior police contacts and a chat message that may have signalled intent while a preliminary forensic-psychiatric report cited by prosecutors found no signs of diminished criminal responsibility.
- The attack renewed debates about city safety after reports that retractable bollards did not protect the point of entry, many witnesses report lasting trauma, nine victims have joined as civil plaintiffs and verdicts could influence urban security measures and legal standards for culpability.