Trier: death toll now five, but the killer seems not to have a political/religious motive

Not every attack these days has a political terrorist motive, be it Jihadist, IRA, Tamil Tigers or any of the others. Except, this originated as a jihadist MO, suitable for countries where gun laws made the acquisition and deployment of firearms difficult. Once it became ‘commonplace’ now it can be copied by men like Bernd W, an individual with serious flaws in his background. Now I am reminded  not of Berlin or Barcelona but Hungerford and Dunblane. 

From the Telegraph

Five people including a baby were killed on Tuesday when a drunk man drove a car into a crowded pedestrian area in an apparently deliberate attack in the western German city of Trier.

The driver was identified by police as a 51-year-old German from the Trier area. He was overpowered and arrested at the scene after officers rammed his car off the road to prevent further deaths.

The driver has not been officially named but several German newspapers identified him as Bernd Walter W from the village of Kordel, near Trier.

The arrested man has a history that suggests mental illness, a spokesman for prosecutors said. He was drunk at the time of the incident, and had a blood alcohol level of 1.4 per thousand. He was homeless and living in his car. There is no evidence of a a religious, political or terror motive.

The driver resisted arrest but was overpowered and taken into custody. He appeared to have targetted pedestrians at random and there was no clue as to his motive, police said. He refused to answer initial questions.

The German Focus magazine says the man often got drunk in the local doner stall.

The suspected amok driver was living in the vehicle in the days leading up to the day, which would later become his deadly weapon. The 51-year-old had not had a fixed residential address. There was also no evidence of close relatives. . . described as a ‘strange individual’ by neighbours who remembered him being ‘aggressive’ as a child and reported rumours that he had started living in his SUV since his mother died a few years ago.  The 51-year-old has not appeared in police in the past, investigators said.

Prosecutors are investigating him for four counts of murder and grievous bodily harm in several others. The prosecution sees his act as a special insidiousness. Tomorrow, the 51-year-old will be presented to the investigating magistrate in Trier. According to Fritzen, it is not yet clear whether an arrest warrant will be issued or whether he will be admitted to a psychiatric facility.

Pray for the injured and the bereaved families.