Bottrop and Essen car attack
| Bottrop and Essen car attack | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bottrop and Essen, Germany |
| Date | 31 December 2018 and 1 January 2019 |
| Target | People of foreign heritage |
Attack type | Vehicular attack |
| Weapons | Silver Mercedes-Benz car |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 10 |
| Assailants | Andreas N. |
| Motive | acute episode of paranoid schizophrenia |
On 31 December 2018 and 1 January 2019, a car was intentionally driven into crowds of people in the cities of Bottrop and Essen in Germany, injuring ten people. First media reports suspected a terrorist background. Later, the perpetrator was admitted to psychiatry and a surveyor certified that he is probably not guilty by reason of mental disease.
According to the judgment of the court of December 2019, the act had no xenophobic or terrorist background, but was triggered by an acute episode of paranoid schizophrenia.