Berlin highway attack suspect kept at psychiatric clinic

BERLIN (AP) — A Berlin court has ordered a man who deliberately drove a car into other vehicles on a highway in the German capital in 2020 held at a psychiatric hospital, ruling that he can’t be held criminally responsible for his actions.

The Berlin district court said Tuesday that the 31-year-old, identified only as Sarmad A in line with German privacy rules, was suffering from “acute psychotic illness” at the time of the Aug. 18, 2020, incident. It said that he poses a danger to the public.

The man’s vehicle collided with several cars while speeding along the A100 highway before he deliberately rammed two motorcycles and a motor scooter, seriously injuring three people.

Witnesses heard the suspect call himself a “soldier of God” and shout “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great” in Arabic. He also rolled out a prayer mat onto the highway and prayed.

But the court found that the rampage wasn’t an Islamic extremist attack and that religious and Islamist motives were mixed into his “delusional action.”

Officials said at the time of the attack that the Iraqi’s asylum application was rejected in 2017, but authorities did not deport him due to Iraq’s unstable security situation.

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