Train collision involving a young girl
In the small town of Friedland, located in the extreme south of Lower Saxony, a tragic incident occurred on August 11. A 16-year-old girl lost her life after being pushed onto an oncoming freight train at the local station. The suspect in this case, Muhammad A., a 31-year-old man, is currently under a detention order and is being held in a psychiatric clinic.
The man, who had previously been under investigation for bodily harm, exhibitionist acts, and stalking, was first controlled by the federal police in Brunswick in 2022. It was later discovered that he had filed an asylum application in Brunswick in 2022, which was rejected in December of the same year. After the rejection, he served a substitute custodial sentence and then registered again as an asylum seeker in Friedland.
On the day of the crime, the police were called to the station due to a man causing a disturbance. Initial investigations suggested an accident as the cause of the girl's death. However, DNA traces of the man were found on the victim's shoulder, leading to a further investigation.
The suspect, Muhammad A., was confronted by an investigative judge at a specialist clinic after the DNA evidence was found. He exercised his right to remain silent during the confrontation. The suspect allegedly led officers to a platform where the teenager was already lying dead.
It was previously known that the suspect had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. On the day of the crime, he reportedly exhibited psychiatric abnormalities. A voluntary breath test showed 1.35 per mille alcohol for the suspect.
Lower Saxony's Interior Minister, Daniela Behrens, has criticized the Dublin Regulation, stating that the suspect should have been in Lithuania, not Germany. Deportation to Lithuania was possible from March 2025, but an application for detention pending deportation was rejected by the district court of Hanover in July 2025.
Behrens has called for a thorough investigation into why the suspect was not transferred under the Dublin Regulation. The police and the public prosecutor's office are currently conducting a detailed investigation into the case. The exact current procedure and the date of trial are not disclosed publicly for protection reasons.
The incident has shocked the small town of Friedland, and the community is mourning the loss of the 16-year-old girl. The authorities are working diligently to ensure justice is served in this tragic case.
