Suspect convicted of murder in knife attack at German festival and sentenced to life in prison
Berlin (AP) – The suspect of the attack on last year’s knife during a Festival of the German city in Solingen was sentenced on Wednesday for murder and member of the Islamic State group and sentenced to life prison.
Three people were killed in the attack during a “diversity festival” on August 23, 2024, marking the city’s 650th anniversary in western Germany. The accused, a 27 -year -old Syrian who was only identified as Issa Al H. in accordance with German confidentiality rules, was arrested a day later.
The Duesseldorf State Court sentenced him to three accusations of murder, 10 of attempted murder and membership in IS, reported the German news agency DPA. He also found that he has “particularly serious” guilt, which means that he will not be eligible for liberation after 15 years as is generally the case in Germany.
Judge Winfried Van Der Grinten said that the defendant had become “massively” radicalized since 2019 and that has spread is propaganda on his Tiktok profile.
When the trial opened at the end of May, the defendant admitted the responsibility of the attack in a statement read by his lawyers. He said that he had “brought a serious guilt on me” and added: “I killed innocent, not infidels”.
The Solngen knife was one of the numerous deadly attacks in the months preceding the German national elections in February which implied immigrant suspects, pushing migration to the foreground of the political agenda in this vote.
He highlighted the return problems of asylum seekers rejected in the first country where they entered the European Union, as it is supposed to occur under the EU rules. The suspect was supposed to be expelled in Bulgaria in 2023, but would have disappeared for a while and would have avoided the expulsion.
