Ukrainian police arrested a man suspected of beating three persons to death with a shovel to show his support for late Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, according to Thursday news reports, DPA reported.
The detainee used a Red Army infantry entrenching tool to kill his victims in a spree begun late Tuesday, the 121st anniversary of Hitler's birthday, said Dmitry Andreev, a police spokesman.
The suspect, 23, was apprehended on Wednesday. Andreev said he was registered with health authorities in the northern city Chernihiv as suffering from schizophrenia, and was taken into custody without incident, Andreev said.
The man in conversations with police made clear his support of the German wartime leader, but due to the suspect's mental condition it was not clear whether he would face criminal charges, the Interfax news agency reported.
The murder spree in Chernihiv was extremely violent, with the victims' heads disfigured almost beyond recognition, Fakty newspaper reported.
The fourth intended victim, a man, survived the assault and was able to give a description of the suspect to police.
Ukraine in recent months has seen a spike in crimes committed by members of neo-Nazi groups. Persons appearing to be of Near Eastern or African ethnicity are the most common targets.
But the three Chernihiv murders appeared to be the result of a psychological illness, rather than racial hatred, Andreev told the Unian web news agency.
Ukraine police arrest Hitler fan suspected of triple murder
Ukrainian police arrested a man suspected of beating three persons to death with a shovel to show his support for late Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, according to Thursday news reports.
