German prosecutors have decided not to bring criminal charges against a rejected asylum seeker who killed a 16-year-old girl at a train station in Friedland last summer, ruling that he was not criminally responsible at the time of the attack.
The Göttingen public prosecutor’s office said on Thursday, January 15, that the suspect, an Iraqi national whose asylum application had been rejected, was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the incident and was therefore not legally culpable.
According to investigators, the man pushed the teenager, identified as Liana K., into the path of a freight train travelling at around 100 km/h (about 62 mph) on August 11, killing her instantly. The case drew nationwide attention, in part because the suspect was subject to a deportation order at the time.
Instead of pursuing a murder trial, prosecutors have initiated preventive detention proceedings, which could result in the suspect being placed in a secure psychiatric hospital rather than a prison. An expert assessment concluded that his mental illness rendered him not criminally liable.
The decision prompted political criticism, including from Alice Weidel, leader of the Alternative for Germany. Writing on X, she said: “No deterrent judgment, no imprisonment followed by deportation—instead, the taxpayer has to foot the bill for the perpetrator’s accommodation in a psychiatric hospital. This is a scandal.”
The victim’s family has also voiced concern. Liana’s mother has publicly questioned how justice can be served in the absence of a criminal conviction. The suspect has been held in a high-security psychiatric facility under a court order since late August.
