By Riham Alkousaa

BAD AROLSEN Germany (Reuters) – German investigators try to decipher “confused” statements made by a 29 year-old man that rammed his car into a school group and killed a teacher in Berlin. Franziska Giffey was the mayor of the city.

She said that while authorities had established that the German-Armenian male was mentally unstable, they still did not understand the motive behind Wednesday’s incident or the possible connection between posters about Turkey in his vehicle.

The teacher was taking the schoolchildren to Berlin from Bad Arolsen in the state Hessen.

According to a police spokesperson, 29 were hurt including students.

It took place near where a deadly attack on 2016 occurred, in which a truck crashed into the Christmas market.

Giffey said that investigators were working with a translator to determine more of his “at times confusing statements”. He described a “dark time in Berlin’s history”

Bild in Germany reported that the man lived with his mother, and had a brother.

Bad Arolsen residents were shocked by an incident that brought back painful memories from a 2020 attack on a Carnival parade.

Ellen Schreck (45), whose son was a student at the school where the group came from, said, “It brings back a lot of photos from Volkmarsen.” It was an “absolute nightmare” she described.

It’s a small, quiet town. You always feel safe here. This is not true anymore.

On Thursday, Kaulbach School was shut down. People placed flowers and candles. The school has sent a group of parents to Berlin in order to look after the children.

Almut Will Olivieri (who owns the pizzeria located in front of school) said, “We are all deeply saddened.”

“The whole town is in shock.”