Mannheim Knife Attacker Confesses, Cites Gaza Conflict as Catalyst

Sulaiman A., on trial for a 2024 attack that killed a police officer, expressed remorse and detailed his radicalization during court testimony.

Sulaiman A., a 26-year-old Afghan, confessed in court to a premeditated knife attack in Mannheim on May 31, 2024, which injured six and led to the death of police officer Rouven Laur.
The defendant attributed his radicalization to exposure to graphic Telegram content about the Gaza conflict, which he claimed deeply affected him emotionally.
He admitted to planning the assault, purchasing a knife online, and targeting Michael Stürzenberger, a leader of the anti-Islam group Pax Europa.
Sulaiman A. revealed that a Telegram chat with a self-proclaimed scholar encouraged him to carry out the attack, framing it as a religious duty.
The trial, ongoing in Stuttgart, is scheduled to continue until October 2025, with the court examining his extremist motivations and broader implications of such violence in Germany.