Germany Defendant confesses to brutal knife attack in Mannheim
The brutal attack shocked people all over Germany: the defendant in the trial for the fatal knife attack on Mannheim's market square has confessed to the crime and shown signs of remorse.
25.03.2025, 14:26
SDA
With regard to a motive, he referred to the Gaza War, which began in 2023 and changed his life. In Telegram chats, he had exchanged information with a scholar about the killing of infidels and gathered information about the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia, said Sulaiman A. The Afghan is charged with murder and attempted murder, among other things, at the Higher Regional Court.
According to the federal prosecutor's office, the now 26-year-old injured six people with a knife during the attack in Mannheim on May 31, 2024: five participants in a rally organized by the Islam-critical citizens' movement Pax Europa (BPE) and 29-year-old police officer Rouven Laur. The officer died two days later from his serious injuries. Another officer shot the attacker.
Federal prosecutor assumes sympathies for the IS terrorist militia
The federal prosecutor assumes that the accused has sympathies for the Islamic State terrorist militia. After all, he had come to the conclusion that it was not only legitimate but his religious duty to kill supposed infidels, it was said. The accused had last lived with his wife and children in Heppenheim, Hesse - around 35 kilometers northeast of Mannheim.
"I'll tell you how I came to commit this terrible act," said Sulaiman A. at the beginning of the trial. He later added: "I was determined to kill Stürzenberger. Unfortunately." He had previously described how he came into contact with the idea of killing "infidels" through Telegram chats. Michael Stürzenberger is a BPE board member and was also injured in the attack.
The Gaza war changed his life, says the defendant
In his statement, Sulaiman A. referred to the Gaza war. "My life changed with the start of this Gaza war." He had subscribed to several channels on Telegram where he had seen men, women and children killed. "I cried every day."
The Gaza war was triggered by the massacre by Palestinian terrorists from the coastal region on October 7, 2023 in Israel, which left 1,200 dead and around 250 displaced. Since then, Israel has been fighting against the Islamist Hamas in Gaza, where more than 50,000 people have been killed so far, according to the health authority. The information cannot be independently verified.
Alleged scholar as chat partner
According to Sulaiman A., he received confirmation of his planned attack on Telegram. A chat partner, a kind of scholar, on the messenger service had spoken about killing police officers, about mujahideen. Mujahideen usually refers to fighters from Islamist groups.
He had become curious, said the accused. He had also spoken to him about a possible killing of Stürzenberger. He had asked him whether he was allowed to commit a crime, even if he had a residence permit. "He confirmed that I was allowed to do it."
The accused is emotional
The Afghan himself spoke in detail about the fatal knife attack on May 31, 2024. He described how he had initially targeted Stürzenberger on the market square. He stabbed him several times with his knife, said A. He then injured other BPE members - and the police officer Rouven Laur. "I saw the police officer. I was suddenly behind him," said Sulaiman A. "Then I suddenly thought: Someone has to die today. Then I stabbed him twice." He then fell to the ground himself.
During the testimony, the accused became emotional. He began to breathe heavily, lowered his head and rubbed his forehead.
