Hesse: Hanau stop: undertaker praises the work of forensic doctors

Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - The undertaker of several victims of the racist attack in Hanau has praised the work of the forensic pathologist.

Hesse: Hanau stop: undertaker praises the work of forensic doctors

Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - The undertaker of several victims of the racist attack in Hanau has praised the work of the forensic pathologist. They were very sensitive to the corpses, for example by stitching up gunshot wounds after the autopsy, he said on Monday at the meeting of the investigative committee in the Wiesbaden state parliament. They also put robes on the dead bodies, something he had never seen before. His company picked up three bodies of Muslim victims from the forensic medicine department and brought them to Hanau, where the families carried out the ritual washing the next day.

When testifying before the investigative committee, a relative of one of the victims was shocked at the condition of his son's body, saying that the body was still stuck with needles. He couldn't remember that, the undertaker said. After around 18 months, he picked up tissue samples that had been taken during the autopsy. These were found in small doses and were then also buried.

Survivors and relatives of the victims have criticized the work of the authorities. This includes a 23-year-old man who was in the Arena Bar when the attack happened. The first police officers and paramedics on site did not come to them at first, but stayed "chilled" with their vehicles, he said in his testimony on Monday.

A 43-year-old German shot nine people with racist motives in Hanau on February 19, 2020. He then killed his mother and himself. The investigative committee should clarify whether the authorities had failed before, during and after the crime.