Almost one month from the tragic events in Trier, investigators are still piecing together how and why it happened.
The detainee has so far said nothing about his reasons or motives.
The attack in the German city left five dead and many injured, two of whom remain in critical condition.
Police spokesman Karl-Peter Jochem told the German Press Agency in Trier, last week that the arrested man refuses to give a reason as to why he sped his vehicle through the Pedestrian Zone.
A 50-member special commission (Soko) entitled “Pedestrian Zone” is currently in the process of reconstructing the events on the basis of witness statements, evidence tracing and video surveillance.
Over 430 witnesses have come forward to the police, the spokesman said. “In total, we have processed over 500 notes.”
Investigations are also underway into the suspect’s mental health, with the aim of obtaining background to the motive for the crime.
It is expected that the commission will be working on the case for two months.
Twenty-four people were injured in the incident. Two of them are still being treated in hospitals for life-threatening injuries, Jochem said. There are also numerous people who have experienced the events and are therefore traumatised.
“This rampage has deeply shaken the whole city,” said Trier Mayor Wolfram Leibe (SPD). “Many are grieving because they know those affected and because they have realized that it could have hit anyone who was in the city centre.”
It will take a “very long time” to “return to everyday life”, Leibe said. “As long as there is no answer to the question ‘why?’, this heinous act will still occupy many people’s thoughts.”
The memorial sites in the city are to remain in place for the time being.
The willingness to donate to victims and relatives remains strong: more than 940,000 euros have been received from nearly 10,000 donors, said city spokesman Ernst Mettlach.
A charity foundation will be set up to benefit the physically and mentally injured as well as the relatives of those killed. “We expect to be able to start the foundation at the beginning of the year,” said Leibe.
