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Trial Opens for Ulm Media‑Markt Knife Attacker

The prosecution's request for Sicherungsverwahrung signals its view that the accused remains a continuing danger.

Overview

  • The trial of 30-year-old Ismail M. began on Tuesday, July 14, at the Landgericht Ulm and is set to run across six sessions with a verdict expected around August 12.
  • Prosecutors say he stabbed a 25-year-old Media‑Markt employee about 15 times in mid‑January, causing internal injuries that required repeated emergency surgery while two colleagues were also hurt.
  • After fleeing the store he was stopped by police and shot in the abdomen when officers say he advanced with a knife; he was seriously but not life‑threateningly wounded and has been in pretrial custody since January.
  • At the opening session the defendant acknowledged the charges through a statement read by his lawyer and the court adjourned early because a psychiatric expert was absent.
  • His asylum protection was revoked in September 2023 and officials say deportation failed because he had no identity papers and Eritrean authorities would not cooperate, a context prosecutors cite in seeking Sicherungsverwahrung as preventive detention for those judged to pose ongoing danger.