Overview

• The Higher Regional Court in Düsseldorf found 27-year‑old Issa al H. guilty of three murders, ten attempted murders and IS membership, imposing life imprisonment, a finding of special severity of guilt and subsequent preventive detention.
• He confessed at the start of the trial, and a court psychiatrist deemed him fully culpable despite an IQ of 71, citing a high risk of reoffending.
• Judges concluded the knife attack at Solingen’s city festival on August 23, 2024 was Islamist‑motivated, with victims targeted from behind and at the neck; three people were killed and eight injured.
• The court awarded damages to victims and families, though judges noted payments may be difficult to realize given the life term and preventive detention.
• Federal prosecutors and the BKA are investigating possible IS handlers or virtual recruiters, while a NRW parliamentary inquiry reviews why an earlier attempt to deport the rejected asylum seeker to Bulgaria failed.