Multiple inquiries arise following the demise of a 16-year-old resident in Friedland
In the quiet town of Friedland, southern Lower Saxony, a shocking incident has left the community in mourning. A 31-year-old man, identified as an Iraqi national, is suspected of pushing a 16-year-old girl in front of a passing freight train at Friedland station.
The girl, who had been living with her family in Heiligenstadt after fleeing from Ukraine in 2022, would commute daily to her training facility in Friedland. Tragically, her life was cut short in this senseless act of violence.
The suspect, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, was initially released due to lack of evidence. However, DNA traces from him were later found on the victim's shoulder, leading to his arrest. He has since been placed in a psychiatric clinic under a detention order, having displayed signs of mental disturbance on the day of the crime.
The investigation into the incident has been hampered by the lack of video surveillance at Friedland station. It is unclear how the events at the station unfolded shortly before the girl's death. The police were called to the station earlier due to a man causing a disturbance, but it is not known if this was the suspect.
Two fundraising appeals have been initiated to cover the funeral costs, with over 14,000 euros received so far. Flowers and candles at Friedland station commemorate the young girl.
The case has once again highlighted the problems of the Dublin procedure, according to Lower Saxony's Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD). The suspect should have been in Lithuania, not Germany, according to the procedure. However, an application for detention pending deportation was rejected by the Regional Court of Hannover in July 2025, allowing the suspect to remain in Germany.
The suspect initially applied for asylum in Braunschweig in 2022, which was rejected in December 2022. He served a substitute custodial sentence and then returned to Friedland as an asylum seeker. It is concerning that he was in psychiatric care the day before the attack and could have been apprehended twice on the day of the attack but was not, raising questions about official misconduct and investigative gaps.
The death of the 16-year-old has caused great consternation, especially among her family and the mayor of Geisleden, Markus Janitzki (CDU). The case remains under investigation, with many circumstances surrounding the tragic event still unclear.
