Frankfurt attacker had psychiatric problems

BERLIN

The suspect who caused the death of an 8-year-old child after pushing him and his mother in front of a train in Frankfurt’s main station had been receiving psychiatric treatment in Switzerland, authorities said Tuesday.

Bruno Keller, vice director of Zurich Cantonal Police, told a news conference that the 40-year-old Eritrean suspect had been in psychiatric care earlier this year, and stopped working due to this treatment.

During searches carried out at his address, no evidence was found indicating a radicalizaiton of the suspect or any ideological motivation, Keller said.

He was married with three children, and was a member of the Christian-Orthodox community, according to Swiss authorities.

On Monday, the suspect pushed an 8-year-old boy and his mother onto the tracks at the main station of Frankfurt in neighbouring Germany.

The boy was killed instantly. His mother managed to escape the incident with minor injuries.

The suspect also attempted to push a third person, a 78-year old woman, in front of the train.

German authorities said on Tuesday that the suspect’s motive remained unclear as he refused to answer questions about the incident.

Federal police chief Dieter Romann told reporters in Berlin that the suspect was living in Switzerland since 2006, had been sought by Swiss police since last week for threatening his neighbor with a knife.

The suspect is expected to be charged with murder of the young boy and two counts of attempted murder.