Driver in deadly smuggling wreck tells German court he meant no harm

A 25-year-old Syrian man accused of crashing a minibus carrying smuggled migrants in Germany in October 2023 largely acknowledged some of the allegations during his first day of trial on Tuesday.

Seven people died in the crash, including a six-year-old child.

The driver's lawyer told the court in Bavaria on Tuesday that the man never intended to hurt anyone, much less cause deaths.

He was allegedly driving the van, carrying 22 migrants from Turkey and Syria, from Austria into southern Germany when it crashed and overturned after speeding away from a civilian patrol that signalled for him to stop.

The 25-year-old man is charged with seven counts of murder and 15 counts of attempted murder in addition to smuggling foreigners and other offences.

Prosecutor Marks Andrä described a breakneck chase in court, and sought to portray the driver as deliberately reckless.

The indictment also covers three other journeys in which the 25-year-old is alleged to have brought a total of 46 people to Bavaria in conditions that prosecutors contend were life-threatening for them.

The three alleged scout drivers are charged separately with smuggling people into the country with fatal consequences.

Their trials are scheduled to begin later this month.