Islamist attack or madness of a lunatic? German investigators were trying, Wednesday August 19, to pierce the personality of the man at the origin of a series of accidents, Tuesday evening, on the highway which crosses Berlin. Six people were injured, three of them seriously, when the 30-year-old Iraqi man hit several other cars and motorcycles with his vehicle.

"In the current state of our knowledge, it is about an Islamist attack", declared this spokesman, specifying that the suspect, aged 30 and of Iraqi nationality, could also have psychological disorders.

According to testimonies collected by German media, the suspect got out of his car shouting "Allah Akbar" ("God is the greatest") and threatening to detonate an explosive device.

He was quickly arrested by German police, who checked the contents of a suspicious box - which turned out to be a mere toolbox.

The German authorities are on the alert regarding the Islamist threat weighing on the country, particularly since a ram truck attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group which killed 12 people in December 2016 in Berlin.

With Reuters and AFP

The summary of the week France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 application

google-play-badge_FR