German authorities are considering the deportation of an Iraqi man who was acquitted in connection with the death of a 16-year-old girl after she was pushed in front of a train in Lower Saxony.
The case relates to Liana K., who died in August 2025 at a railway station in Friedland. According to investigators, the girl fell onto the tracks and was struck by a train travelling at around 100 km/h.
Police were first alerted to an Iraqi male behaving erratically near the station shortly before the incident. He was later questioned and released at the time after a voluntary breath test showed a blood alcohol level of 1.35.
Subsequent investigations, however, led to new evidence. Prosecutors said DNA traces found on the teenager’s shoulder were linked to the man, and they believe he deliberately pushed her in front of the train. Despite this, he was later acquitted of murder on the grounds of paranoid schizophrenia. The verdict is not yet final
The Iraqi man’s asylum application was rejected in December 2022. This means his deportation to Lithuania could have been implemented at any time since March 2025. However, authorities have now confirmed that they are assessing whether deportation is legally and practically possible.
A spokesperson for the Lower Saxony Ministry of Justice said that if the legal conditions are met, the necessary steps will be taken to enforce removal. Officials stressed that the deadline expires in September. If deportation is not completed by then, the man could gain the right to commence a new asylum procedure from within Germany.
The ministry also said that release from psychiatric care—and any possible repatriation—would only be allowed if there is no significant danger to the public, requiring coordination with prosecutors and medical services.
