Security discussion Investigators search for motive after attack on platform killing boy, 8
FRANKFURT · A man pushes an eight-year-old boy to his death in front of an incoming ICE - and remains silent. An update on the second deadly act of this kind on a railway track in only ten days.
After the deadly attack at Frankfurt Central Station, the investigators continue their search for the suspect's motive. The 40-year-old, who is said to have killed an eight-year-old boy by pushing him in front of an ICE train on Monday, will be brought before a magistrate on Tuesday, according to the Frankfurt public prosecutor's office. So far, a spokeswoman for the investigating authority said, he had not made a statement on the case.
Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) wants to consult with the heads of the security authorities on Tuesday in Berlin "in view of several serious recent acts". He will present the results at a press conference (15:00). According to dpa information, the meeting will not only deal with the attack at Frankfurt Central Station, but also with attacks and threats against representatives of the Left Party, bomb threats against mosques, and the racist attack on an Eritrean in Hesse's Wächtersbach.
An eight-year-old boy was killed by a man who pushed him onto the train tracks in front of an ICE arriving at Frankfurt Central Station. Police arrested a suspect. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the suspect comes from Eritrea and, according to dpa information, is supposed to live in Switzerland.
The attack at Frankfurt Central Station also sparked a debate about security at railway stations. CDU interior politician Philipp Amthor told the German Press Agency: "After this terrible crime we now need quick and tangible consequences for the perpetrator. In addition to criminal proceedings, measures to end residence should also be discussed. Also, I am open to a discussion about better security measures at our stations.“
The SPD traffic expert Martin Burkert in the "Bild"-Zeitung (Tuesday) criticized an inadequate supervision of the platforms, in addition there was a lack of federal police officers at the stations.
From the point of view of Anke Rehlinger (SPD), chairwoman of the conference of transport ministers, actions like those in Frankfurt cannot be prevented by security measures. The Saarland Transport Minister told the editorial network Germany (RND/Dienstag): "Such an act does not reveal a security gap, but a humanity gap.“
Meanwhile, Jörg Radek, deputy federal chairman of the Police Union (GdP), warned against imitators. Cases of so-called S-Bahn and U-Bahn pushers have long been known from major cities such as Berlin. "The police are trying to be better prepared after each case as a preventive measure. However, Radek told the RND, "it comes up against its limits in cases of intentional acts. In view of 5600 stations and stops in Germany, quick solutions cannot be expected. "They are all so differently structured that it would be difficult to develop a concept for all." The GdP vice president described demands for more personnel as dubious.
In Frankfurt, the suspected 40-year-old is said to have pushed the mother of the killed boy and the boy onto the track bed on Monday and tried it with another person. The mother rescued herself on a footpath between two tracks. She was taken to hospital with injuries. The third person was able to get to safety without falling into the tracks.
The Frankfurt case is reminiscent of an attack that took place about a week ago in Voerde in North Rhine-Westphalia, where a man pushed a woman in front of a train at a station and killed her.
(Original text: dpa; Translation: Mareike Graepel)
