Overview
- The 44-year-old left a supervised priest visit in Cologne and later approached officers at Berlin Brandenburg Airport, where he was taken into custody.
- Police had issued a public alert that urged people to keep their distance and to call 110 if they saw him.
- Officers confirmed his identity after he used hand signals, with communication aided by an electronic text-translation device.
- Authorities describe him as a violent offender who has been held since 2023 in the closed forensic psychiatric unit of LVR-Klinik Köln.
- The episode highlights risks tied to escorted outings used in forensic treatment and the coordination required when an escape spans multiple cities.