Germany says Berlin car crash suspect cited Islamist motives, had psychological problems

BERLIN (Reuters) - The suspected perpetrator of a series of car crashes on a Berlin motorway on Tuesday evening cited Islamist motives but appears to have acted alone, German police and prosecutors said on Wednesday.

"Comments made by the suspect after his criminal acts suggest a religious Islamist motivation," the joint statement from the Berlin police and the public prosecutors office said.

There are also indications that the 30-year-old suspect had psychological problems, the statement said, adding that investigators so far had not found any hints that the suspect was a member of any terror group.

Later, prosecutors said authorities ordered the man, accused of attempted murder and dangerous interference with traffic, be sent to a secure psychiatric institution temporarily.

Police arrested the suspect at the scene after a device in his car which the man said was dangerous turned out to be a tool box. The man is now accused of attempted murder.

The apparently deliberate crashes, in which the suspect hit several motorcyclists with his car, left six people wounded, three of them seriously, the fire department said.

(Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Philippa Fletcher, Kirsten Donovan)