Nine years after a fatal knife attack in Ettelbruck, the man behind the incident made headlines again after escaping from a psychiatric facility during an accompanied outing.
The 2015 killing that shocked Ettelbruck is back in focus after the man responsible, deemed unfit for trial, escaped custody last week and was later recaptured in Germany.
The killing of a 63-year-old man on Place de l'Hôtel de Ville in Ettelbruck in March 2015 ignited widespread public concern. Adding to the unease, authorities revealed that another attempted murder had occurred just five days earlier. However, neither case went to trial, as the suspect was apprehended but later deemed not criminally liable.
In 2016, the Appeals Court's pre-trial chamber declared the then 27-year-old suspect unfit to stand trial under Article 71 of the Criminal Code. This provision exempts individuals from criminal liability if, at the time of the offence, they were suffering from a mental disorder that impaired their judgment or self-control. For this reason, and despite sufficient evidence linking him to the knife attacks, the court ultimately placed the man in a secure psychiatric unit at the Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Centre (CHNP) in Ettelbruck.
Now, nine years later, the case has resurfaced following a new development. Last week, the man, now 36, escaped during an accompanied outing. Despite an immediate manhunt and a missing person's alert from the Luxembourg police, he initially evaded capture. Authorities later updated the public, warning that the individual was dangerous and should not be approached.
The following day, the fugitive was located and arrested across the border in Germany. German authorities subsequently extradited him to Luxembourg. This information, first obtained by RTL, has been confirmed by the public prosecutor's office, which added that judicial authorities have requested a report from CHNP management to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The 2015 knife attacks led to significant discussions about public safety in Ettelbruck. At the time, proposals were made to review legislation governing psychiatric detentions, establish security forums, and increase police patrols in public spaces.
