Weimar (dpa/th) - The bus driver, who is accused of insulting and kicking a Syrian passenger in Weimar, has canceled a detailed hearing planned for Friday. The accused did not want to comment further and would be represented by a lawyer, said a spokesman for the Jena Police Inspectorate on Friday when asked.
According to the police, the bus driver had said in a first statement that the incident had happened differently than the alleged 32-year-old victim had described. According to the spokesman, the investigation is proving difficult. "As far as we know, the bus in question did not have a video camera installed." Since further findings can only be expected in a few days after the involvement of a lawyer, the police are hoping for witnesses who have observed what is happening on the bus or at the bus stop.
The driver of the bus from Nohra to Weimar is said to have asked the Syrian to get off the bus at a bus stop on Erfurter Strasse in Weimar on Monday, even though he had a valid ticket and was wearing a mask. When he failed to do so, the driver grabbed his shoulders and pushed him through the open door onto the sidewalk, the 32-year-old later told the police. He also received several blows to the head and upper body. Then the driver continued driving.
The criminal police are investigating on suspicion of politically motivated insult and bodily harm.
