German official says Christmas market attack suspect shows signs of mental illness

The German government, under fire for failing to prevent a deadly car-ramming attack on a Christmas market, said Monday that the tragedy would have been hard to prevent and said that the suspect appeared to be mentally disturbed.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser along with security and intelligence chiefs faced questioning by a parliamentary committee about the attack that killed five people and wounded more than 200, and on whether there had been missed clues and security lapses.

Faeser said no motive had yet been established for the Dec. 20 attack in the eastern city of Magdeburg, where a Saudi-born doctor who had lived in Germany for years was arrested, but she said "there are striking signs of a pathological psyche."