A mentally ill Salzburger (28) attacked two caregivers in a social institution with a knife in April. Now he must be locked up, the court ruled. Before that, the victim reported the attack.
There were no indications that the situation would escalate to that extent. The victim said this on Friday in the Salzburg Regional Court and described the moments on April 24, 2023, when the mentally ill Salzburger suddenly appeared at the care facility in Elsbethen after months of abstinence. After being asked to leave the building, this is what happened: “He jumped at me without saying a word and rammed the knife into my stomach.”
Two stitches. A scuffle broke out and a second supervisor rushed to help. The mentally ill man also attacked this man with a knife. The attacker then fled, went straight to the police station in Elsbethen, turned himself in and asked the officers to call the emergency services.
Paranoia and conspiracy ideas
Because of the incident, according to prosecutor Marcus Neher, “the public prosecutor’s office has submitted a request for placement in a forensic therapeutic center.” If the knife attacker had been sane, serious bodily harm would have occurred with intent. The mentally ill man was in a program run by the nonprofit organization before the bloody incident: until November 2022. “He felt like he was constantly being followed,” Neher reported. The man suffered from paranoia and believed there was a conspiracy against him. The man thought his supervisors were behind this.
Neher tried to explain to the thought community that they too were ‘to blame for everything that happened to him’. Since the knife attack, the affected person has been treated at the Christian Doppler Clinic: according to his lawyer, he gained “insight into his illness” and wanted to apologize to the victims. “I am working on my recovery,” the man himself said. The judge announced: “There is no way around it.” He accepted this decision.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
