German court hears case of Afghan accused of killing man, toddler in knife attack

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ASCHAFFENBURG, Germany (Reuters) -The court hearing of an Afghan national accused of killing two people, including a toddler, during a knife attack in a city park began on Thursday, more than eight months after the incident that shocked the nation.

Prosecutors allege the suspect, identified as Enamullah O. in line with German privacy laws, fatally stabbed a German man and a two-year-old of Moroccan descent in January while attacking a kindergarten group.

The suspect, who was 28 at the time, was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and was unable to comprehend the wrongfulness of his actions, according to prosecutors.

The hearing is a special legal procedure rather than a criminal trial, as the suspect is deemed not criminally responsible due to his mental condition. Instead of a prison sentence, the court will consider placement in psychiatric care.

The attack, which also injured another toddler, a teacher and a bystander, occurred a month before Germany’s federal election in February. It prompted now-Chancellor Friedrich Merz to launch stricter migration policies and tighten border controls.

It was one of a string of violent attacks in Germany that have raised concerns over migration and fuelled support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is vying for top spot in opinion polls with Merz’s conservatives.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has announced plans to allow deportations of illegal immigrants to Afghanistan and other countries, reversing restrictions on doing so under the previous government.

The suspect’s asylum application was turned down and after saying he would voluntarily leave Germany last December he stayed in the country and was kept under treatment.

(Reporting by Tilman Blasshofer, Writing by Kirsti Knolle and Friederike Heine; editing by Matthias Williams, William Maclean and Ed Osmond)