Hamm/Düsseldorf (dpa/lnw) – In the case of the deadly knife attack at a university in Hamm in June, the accused specifically went to the campus “to kill members of the university”. This emerges from a response published on Monday by the NRW Ministry of the Interior to a small request from the AfD parliamentary group. The German citizen, who has no criminal record, suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and, according to the investigators, was “in a state of significantly reduced criminal responsibility” at the time of the crime. He said he believed his victims to be members of a “clan” who was pursuing, wiretapping and wanting to kill him. The man has been a student at Hamm-Lippstadt University for some time.
Around five weeks ago, the 34-year-old attacked four people at the university in the Westphalian city, and a lecturer (30) died from her injuries. Three students aged 22 were seriously injured. The police had spoken of an “amoktat”.
According to the ministry report, the man had attempted suicide a few days before the crime and had therefore sought inpatient medical treatment. However, he left the clinic on the day of the crime because he felt threatened by the medical staff. He bought two kitchen knives and went to college with intent to kill.
He stabbed a student in the neck and cheek in the foyer, then inflicted injuries on a student’s neck. He rammed a knife into another student’s stomach eight times, and an emergency operation saved her life. With the words “Now it’s your turn!” he then stabbed the lecturer in a lecture hall, who died a day later. The accused is being investigated in three cases for murder and attempted murder.
The report went on to say that the 34-year-old had previously reported to the police in Hamm in April because he felt he was being monitored by fellow students in the dormitory. At the time, however, there was no indication that he was endangering himself or others. The man himself was able to reflect that his descriptions “are difficult to understand”. He stated that he was receiving psychotherapeutic treatment for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
According to the report, psychological support and care is provided for the victims and their relatives with the participation of the state’s victim protection officers.
