German car-ramming suspect's motive remains unclear. Officials say he had psychiatric treatment

German investigators say the suspect in a car-ramming in the city of Leipzig that left two people dead doesn’t appear to have had any political or religious motive but had spent time recently at a psychiatric hospital

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German car-ramming suspect's motive remains unclear. Officials say he had psychiatric treatment

ByThe Associated PressMay 5, 2026, 9:57 AM

1:28Emergency services stand at the entrance to Grimmaische station in Leipzig, Germany, Monday, May 4, 2026. (Jan Woitas/dpa via AP)The Associated Press

BERLIN -- The suspect in a car-ramming in the German city of Leipzig that left two people dead doesn't appear to have had any political or religious motive, but had spent time recently at a psychiatric hospital, investigators said Tuesday.

The 33-year-old German man was arrested on Monday afternoon in the car that authorities say he had driven several hundred meters through a street in a busy central shopping area. Two people — a 63-year-old woman and a 77-year-old man, both of them German — were killed. Six other people were injured, two of them seriously.

The suspect is under investigation on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Authorities believe that it was a deliberate rampage, but were still investigating his motive on Tuesday.

Police and prosecutors said in a statement that there was no evidence at present of a political or religious motive. They said he had come to authorities' attention this year because of threats and “defamatory offenses.”

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They said that police were deployed on April 17 because of a phone call from the suspect, following which he was admitted to a specialist hospital with his consent because of his “psychological condition.” He was treated there until Wednesday last week. He had no previous convictions and there were no other pending cases, the statement said.

The social affairs ministry in Saxony state said that the man had posed no danger to himself or others while being treated, and there had been no medical reason to prevent him from leaving, German news agency dpa reported.