Police in Germany are searching for an Algerian migrant convicted of attempted manslaughter who escaped from a psychiatric hospital in Baden-Württemberg and is considered potentially dangerous.
Sofiane Ouandjli, 26, fled the Emmendingen Psychiatric Center on May 1 and had still not been found five days later, according to reports by Bild and Welt.
Authorities have issued a public appeal for information and warned members of the public not to approach him.
According to Bild, Ouandjli had been allowed into the park area of the psychiatric center for a walk but failed to return to his ward. Police reportedly began an intensive search shortly after his escape, following several leads before making the case public.
A police spokesperson told Bild the public appeal was launched after investigators were unable to locate him through other avenues.
“As far as we know, the escapee did not return to his ward after a period of leave in the park of the Emmendingen Psychiatric Center,” police spokesman Özkan Cira told the German tabloid. “The police pursued several leads. Because he could not be located, a public appeal for information has now been initiated.”
Welt reported that Ouandjli was convicted by the Freiburg Regional Court in July 2025 after an attack at a refugee accommodation in November 2024. He stabbed a fellow resident with a knife and injured a police officer before he was arrested.
Instead of imposing a custodial sentence, the court ordered him to be placed in a psychiatric hospital, although the reason for that placement was not immediately clear.
The incident will reignite the controversy surrounding dangerous foreign nationals avoiding prison time in favor of psychiatric treatment under the proviso that secure psychiatric units possess the same degree of safety to the public.
Police have described Ouandjli as about 1.80 meters tall, slim, with short curly dark brown to black hair and dark brown eyes. At the time of his escape, he had stubble and was wearing a dark baseball cap and a black tracksuit.
Authorities said there was no indication that he was carrying a weapon, but warned that he may pose a danger to others.
The post As secure as a prison? Algerian convicted of attempted manslaughter escapes German psychiatric hospital after failing to return from a walk appeared first on Remix News.
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