On August 11th, a young girl lost her life after falling onto the tracks and being hit by a train in Friedland, Lower Saxony.
The police were called to the station shortly before the girl’s death because of a man acting erratically. The man, who according to reports led them to the tracks where the young girl was lying lifeless, was also questioned. A voluntary breathalyzer test measured a blood alcohol level of 1.35, but the man was released at the time.
Now new evidence has brought about a decisive turn of events. Investigators found clear DNA traces on the teenager’s right shoulder that can be linked to the Iraqi man, who is suspected of deliberately pushing the girl in front of the train, the prosecutor’s office said on Friday.
The Iraqi man’s asylum application was rejected in December 2022. His deportation to Lithuania would have been possible since March 2025. In July, he served a substitute prison sentence for failing to pay the fine imposed on him. The immigration office then initiated deportation proceedings, but this was rejected by a Hanover court. The man then submitted another asylum application in Friedland.
At the request of the public prosecutor’s office, the court ordered the man to be placed in a psychiatric institution instead of being remanded in custody. The reason for this was that the man showed signs of mental disturbance on the day of the crime. He had previously been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. It is currently unclear whether he will face a prison sentence if convicted or whether he will require long-term psychiatric treatment.
