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Berlin Trial Opens in Alleged IS-Motivated Stabbing at Holocaust Memorial

Prosecutors say the 19-year-old acted out of Islamist antisemitism, with the court’s choice of juvenile or adult law determining the potential penalty.

Overview

  • The case began at the Berlin Kammergericht, where the defendant kept his face covered and declined to address the charges.
  • Federal prosecutors accuse him of attempted murder, dangerous bodily harm and attempted membership in a terrorist organization.
  • Investigators cite alleged pre-attack contact with IS, an online purchase of a 16-centimeter knife, recovery of the knife, a Koran and a prayer rug, and witnesses who heard him shout “Allahu Akbar.”
  • Police detained the suspect about two and a half to three hours after the attack near the memorial, and he has remained in pre-trial custody.
  • The Spanish victim survived emergency surgery but has lasting nerve damage and PTSD; testimony is expected in early December, the trial resumes on November 26, and a verdict is anticipated late January.