The suspect, identified as Enamullah O, is alleged to have stabbed a 41-year-old German man and toddler to death after the man tried to protect children being attacked. Prosecutors say the suspect targeted a daycare group with a kitchen knife in January, killing the man and a two-year-old child while injuring three others.
According to prosecutors, moments before the killings, the suspect watched a YouTube video titled in Turkish, “Motivating Combat Music.”
Five toddlers and two teachers were in a public park as part of a kindergarten class when the suspect allegedly launched the attack. Authorities say Enamullah O. was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia.
Because he has been deemed not criminally responsible, the case is being handled as a special legal proceeding rather than a criminal trial. The court will determine whether he should be placed in psychiatric care instead of receiving a prison sentence, according to Reuters.
The attack reignited debate over immigration in Germany. At the time of the attack, media reports revealed that authorities had previously attempted but failed to deport the suspect to Bulgaria, the first EU country he entered.
The incident, which occurred a month before Germany’s federal election in February, prompted now-Chancellor Friedrich Merz to introduce stricter migration policies. The attack also increased support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is polling competitively against the conservatives.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has since announced the reversal of restrictions put in place under the previous government to allow for deportations of illegal immigrants to Afghanistan as well as other countries.
