Charges filed after ICE train attack near Siegburg: Public Prosecutor General's Office alleges attempted murder

Several people were injured in the explosion in the long-distance train. The ICE was traveling on the route between Siegburg and Aachen when the grenades were detonated. Rescue services and police deployed; the federal police apprehended the suspect still on the platform.

According to the Public Prosecutor General's Office, the case will be tried at the Aachen Regional Court. Due to the particular significance of the proceedings, the Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor General's Office had assumed the investigations. A specific trial date had not initially been set.

Investigations and the evidence

According to their own statements, investigators base their assumption on the evaluation of evidence at the crime scene, on digital evidence, and on the suspect's statement. According to this, the man had sent an email in advance that is in direct temporal connection with the attack. The emergency call was received by the operations control centers only a few minutes after this message was sent.

According to the assessment of the security authorities, this is a politically motivated act. Indications of a possible terrorist background are being further examined. According to information from security circles, the Federal Prosecutor General's Office has been brought in to clarify whether the jurisdiction of the Generalbundesanwalt comes into consideration.

Reactions and consequences

Regarding the sequence of events: According to the current state of the investigation, the suspect is said to have first detonated the softair grenades in the stationary train. The detonation triggered panic among passengers; several people fled from the train onto the platform. According to the indictment, the man is said to have planned to stab with a knife at this moment. Why the intended knife attack did not occur is part of the ongoing investigations.

WDR reporting had already reported shortly after the act about injured persons and a major operation at Siegburg station. Eyewitnesses described at the time how travelers pushed out of the train in panic and sought safety in the shops of the station. Rail traffic on the route was interrupted for several hours.

Travelers who were in the train at the time of the incident continue to be interviewed as witnesses. The federal police set up a hotline through which those affected can report. Several passengers stated they had suffered an acoustic trauma; others received outpatient treatment.

The suspect has been in pretrial detention since the act. The Public Prosecutor General's Office gave no information about his current whereabouts – correctional facility or hospital. The investigators were also reticent about the man's age, origin, and possible prior history.

The Düsseldorf Public Prosecutor General's Office also pointed out that the taking of evidence is not yet complete. Only after all expert reports and witness statements have been submitted will the public prosecutor's office make its final assessment. A possible trial opening at the Aachen Regional Court is to be expected no earlier than in several weeks.

Security experts see the case as evidence of how vulnerable local and long-distance public transport remains. Deutsche Bahn announced that it would review the presence of security personnel at major hub stations. Concrete measures are to be taken in coordination with the federal police and the state police forces.

Deutsche Bahn and the federal police have called on passengers to continue to report suspicious observations directly. The federal police and any police station will accept information. The federal police's hotline remains reachable for relatives and witnesses.