"Ibrahim A. was to be released from custody immediately and without conditions"

The Hamburg judiciary, which has been under pressure since the knife attack in a regional train with two fatalities, continues to defend its actions regarding the release of the alleged perpetrator Ibrahim A dismissal had no basis. "After the arrest warrant was lifted, Ibrahim A. was to be released from custody immediately and without conditions," the judicial authority said on Sunday. The authority announced this to the Judiciary Committee on February 2nd.

As part of his regular treatment appointments, the specialist doctor at Ibrahim A. repeatedly stated on record that there was no danger to himself or others, most recently at a treatment appointment on the day before the discharge, which was not known at the time. "Against this background, the Hamburg judicial authorities had neither a reason nor a legal basis to arrange for Ibrahim A. to be temporarily accommodated in a psychiatric hospital to avert danger, regardless of his ongoing psychiatric treatment," it said. With the cancellation of the arrest warrant, Ibrahim A. was to be released immediately. Any further deprivation of liberty would have been unlawful. There was also no legal basis for conditions or instructions upon release from pre-trial detention.

The Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) had reported that there had been no final psychiatric report before Ibrahim A. was released. For the first time, a psychiatrist and an employee of the Billwerder correctional facility (JVA) made statements in the report. The head of the Institute for Forensic Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, Jochen Brack, who examined Ibrahim A. in July 2022, said that the 33-year-old had had mental problems throughout his incarceration. In addition to an addiction, "the clinical picture of a delusional disorder or psychotic reaction presented itself in the context of imprisonment".

Schleswig-Holstein's Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) has meanwhile called for faster deportations of criminals in response to the deadly knife attack on the regional train. "I am fundamentally of the opinion that someone who has committed such crimes, some of which are serious, in our country and has therefore also been sentenced to imprisonment has forfeited his right to hospitality," Günther told the Hamburger Abendblatt.

It is "bitter" that someone like that is still in Germany - despite all the difficulties that exist in deporting criminals. When it comes to deportations, you have to get better and faster all over Germany. "There is a broad social consensus that we really have to become much, much faster and more efficient in this area with criminals," said Günther.

In addition to better official cooperation, the Prime Minister also called for the "sentence and possibilities of aggravation" to be considered for crimes involving knives. Even with the existing laws, harsher penalties could be imposed. Günther sees the judiciary as responsible and calls for quick judgments.