A rejected asylum seeker pushed a teenage girl to her death under a train travelling at 62mph. The 16-year-old victim, identified as Liana K from Ukraine, was on the phone with her grandfather moments before she was pushed. He reportedly heard her scream, followed by the sound of the approaching train.
A court said Muhammed A, from Iraq, carried out the killing in Geisleden, Germany, on August 11 last year despite there being no witnesses or CCTV footage of the incident. Prosecutors said DNA evidence placed him at the scene with traces found on the victim’s shoulder. However, he will not face a murder trial after it was determined he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and is not criminally responsible. The 31-year-old has instead been ordered into a secure psychiatric facility.
As reported by the Daily Mail, the court heard how Liana died after being pushed in front of a freight train which was travelling at 100km/hour (62mph). Geisleden’s mayor Markus Janitzki said: “Her grandfather had to listen to everything. He heard screams, then just the sound of a train.”
The attacker did not respond to accusations during the court proceedings. Observers also noted he showed no remorse, despite the victim’s mother being present in court.
Muhammed A instead complained of alleged mistreatment by emergency responders who restrained him on the day of the attack. While his defence pushed for acquittal, arguing a lack of evidence, the victim’s lawyer demanded a murder conviction.
The attacker arrived in Germany in 2022, but his asylum application was denied. Just weeks before the killing, he was in custody in Hanover awaiting transfer to Lithuania.
That transfer request was ultimately rejected and he was released back into the community. Three weeks later, he carried out the fatal attack on Liana.
According to local reports, Muhammed admitted himself to the Asklepios Clinic, in Göttingen, the day before killing the girl. However, he left despite doctors’ advice before proceeding to push the teenager in front of the train.
Liana’s mother told local news outlet Junge Freiheit: “She had big goals and plans for her life. Two months ago, she had started her training as a dental assistant. At first, I thought the perpetrator would now receive his punishment. But I’m afraid he’ll avoid it by claiming mental illness.”
She added: “After a ‘recovery’ in a psychiatric hospital, he can continue living without remorse and commit new crimes, knowing that next time he’ll just have to pretend to be mentally ill again.”
