An Afghan who stabbed a two-year-old and a father to death while attacking a group of toddlers played motivational fighting music on his phone before he launched the rampage.
The man, named as Enamullah O, carried out the deadly knife attack in a park in the southern German city of Aschaffenburg in January, killing the boy and a 41-year-old father who tried to protect the children.
Three others were wounded when the Afghan, who was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, set upon the daycare group with a 30cm kitchen knife on January 22.
The 28-year-old, who is on trial for murder and attempted murder, played ‘motivating battle music’ before the attack in Schöntal Park, prosecutor Juergen Buntschuh told a court in Aschaffenburg on Thursday.
The video titled ‘Motivating Battle Music’ on YouTube was played shortly before he attacked the group which comprised of five toddlers from a kindergarten class and two teachers.
Yannis, a two-year-old boy, was fatally stabbed five times, and the man slain by the attacker was stabbed four times.
A two-year-old Syrian girl and a 72-year-old man who had also tried to protect the children were reportedly stabbed, while a teacher broke her arm.
The group were about to turn around because a teacher believed he was acting suspiciously by blaring music loudly.
An Afghan man who stabbed a two-year-old and a father to death while attacking a group of toddlers played motivational fighting music on his phone as he launched the rampage
Yannis, the two-year-old boy, was fatally stabbed five times after being attacked by the Afghan
Prosecutors said he tore hats and scarves from the children’s heads before pulling one from their stroller and stabbing him to death.
The suspect, known to police for previous assaults, property damage and resisting officers, was arrested near the scene. A bloodied knife was found nearby.
Facing the court in handcuffs and foot shackles, the Afghan appeared groggy and subdued, wearing an open white shirt with a dark jacket.
He mostly stared at the table and yawned frequently, which his lawyer said was due to medication he has been taking.
Prosecutors are seeking to have him permanently confined to a psychiatric facility. They previously said there was no indication the suspect acted out of extremist or terrorist motivation
The attack, which came just a month before German national elections, inflamed an already heated debate on migration.
Defence lawyer Juergen Vongries told the court that O. was experiencing fits of delusion and had only vague memories of voices he heard at the time of the crime.
His client had expressed regret, but could offer no explanation for why he attacked the children.
Buntschuh said the attacker’s delusions and severe mental impairment meant he was not able to fully recognise the horrific nature of his actions.
Six court sessions are scheduled until October 30.
Not long after the attack, German media reported that the authorities had tried and failed in 2023 to deport the man to Bulgaria – the first EU country he had arrived in.
Enamullah O, 28, was arrested near the scene after attacking a group of children in a park in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria (pictured January 22)
In August 2024, he allegedly threatened a fellow resident at an accommodation for asylum seekers in the nearby town of Alzenau with a butcher’s knife and caused her minor injuries.
The Aschaffenburg stabbings, which followed a string of other bloody attacks in Germany, provoked intense political reactions.
Friedrich Merz, the leader of the centre-right Christian Democrats who went on to become chancellor, promised a ‘fundamental’ overhaul of asylum rules and strict border controls if elected.
About a week later, Merz, then the opposition leader, relied on support from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) to pass a non-binding resolution through parliament demanding stricter immigration and refugee policies.
Merz’s decision to rely on far-right support broke a longstanding taboo in post-World War II German politics, prompting fierce criticism and mass street protests.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .