In 2022 Liana fled Mariupol with her family to Germany to escape the war. She was studying to become a dental assistant. On 11 August, an Iraqi citizen pushed her under a train.

A 16-year-old Ukrainian girl has been killed after being pushed under a freight train at a railway station in the German town of Friedland.

Source: German newspaper Stern; German public broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)

Details: Police says that the tragedy occurred on 11 August at around 16:00 local time. A 31-year-old Iraqi citizen pushed 16-year-old Liana under a passing freight train travelling at about 100 km/h.

Shortly before the incident, police had received a call about hooliganism at the station. When officers arrived, they encountered a man who led them to the girl’s body on the platform. He claimed he had just found her. As no immediate suspicion arose, he was not detained.

DNA analysis later revealed the man’s traces on the victim’s right shoulder, indicating she had been forcefully grabbed. The man was then arrested, remanded in custody and charged with negligent homicide.

Subsequent tests showed 1.35‰ alcohol in his blood. He was taken to a specialised psychiatric clinic. According to NDR, he had previously been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia.

Prosecutors said no prior connections between the suspect and his victim are known. The man remains silent and does not comment on the charges. Investigators are determining whether he is criminally responsible.

Bild reported that at the time of the incident the girl was speaking on the phone with her grandfather, who heard her screams. Her parents immediately questioned police claims of an accident. The tragedy shocked the local community.

The 16-year-old girl, together with her two younger brothers and parents, fled Mariupol in 2022 and found refuge in Germany. Liana was studying to become a dental assistant.

The local community organised a fundraiser for her funeral, collecting more than €24,000 so far.

The investigation also revealed that the Iraqi citizen had been living in Germany for several years despite being denied asylum and facing a deportation order. He remained in the country.

Previously: Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian woman who had recently fled to the United States from the war in Ukraine, was killed in a knife attack at a train station in North Carolina.

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