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As a supporter of the Islamic State in Germany, he wanted to kill non-believers and then emigrate to the caliphate: A 21-year-old Syrian has been answerable to the Dresden Higher Regional Court since Monday for murder, attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.
His victims were two men from North Rhine-Westphalia.
A 55-year-old from Krefeld died in the attack in early October 2020, a 53-year-old from Cologne survived seriously injured.
The accused thought the men were a homosexual couple and wanted to punish them with death for what he saw as a "serious sin", said a representative of the federal prosecutor's office at the beginning of the State Security Senate and did not rule out preventive detention.
The defendant, who comes from Aleppo and grew up in poor conditions, came to Germany as a refugee in 2015.
In 2018 he was sentenced to a youth sentence by the Dresden Higher Regional Court in 2018 for advertising the terror network Islamic State (IS), which was increased after attacks on officials in prison.
He was released from custody at the end of September 2020 and attacked the two tourists on October 4.
Almost three weeks later, the 21-year-old was caught.
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The accused himself does not want to comment on the crime during the trial and “defend himself in silence”, as his lawyer put it.
His client rejects the court as "an earthly court that does not have to evaluate what he has done from a divine point of view".
Nevertheless, numerous details of the crime and its circumstances became known at the outset.
Because the doctor and forensic psychiatrist Norbert Leygraf from Münster had talked for hours with the defendant in the Dresden penal institution in March.
The Syrian was ready to provide information.
According to this, he already thought about killing unbelievers while in custody.
He was referring to verses from the Koran, according to which one should fight those who fought against oneself in the way of God.
According to the information, the Syrian first prayed in the mosque on October 4, 2020.
Then he listened to a sermon and religious songs to prepare for the deed.
In the evening he took the train to downtown Dresden, armed with two knives and looking for victims.
First he had a couple in his sights, later he followed a single man.
The presiding judge Hans Schlüter-Staats at the beginning of the trial - in which, according to the defense attorney, “the right person” is on trial
Source: AFP / SEBASTIAN KAHNERT
According to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, the two tourists were “representatives of a free and open social order that he rejected as“ unbeliever ”.
The defendant reported to the expert that the two men were holding hands.
Homosexuals should be fought and killed as enemies of God.
After all, God created women and men to father children - according to the defendant's view of the world.
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The attack came from behind.
Shortly before that, the 21-year-old said he had doubts again.
But through an oath to God, he felt obliged to carry out the deed.
The Syrian stabbed both men almost at the same time, who went down and called for help.
The perpetrator fled and hid in a house, only in the morning he returned to his accommodation.
"The cat is out of the bag"
According to Leygraf, the accused had expressed himself thoughtfully and in an "irritating way self-critical" about the crime.
Because he reproached himself for not being strong enough.
Although he stabbed, he acted “not with the heart”.
The fact that one of the two knives broke off was also taken as evidence of insufficient strength.
He regretted to the appraiser that he was too weak to fully carry out his plan and to die a “martyr's death”.
He also replied in the affirmative when asked whether he would do such an act again.
He only saw a mistake in not having come to an understanding with representatives of the caliphate beforehand and having sworn an oath of allegiance to IS.
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Defense attorney Peter Hollstein admitted during a break in the negotiations that the accused had made a de facto confession with his statements to the expert.
“In this respect, the cat is out of the bag.
He has admitted the act.
It is the right perpetrator in court here. "
His client also spoke to the expert about his motives.
The murder criteria mentioned by the federal prosecutor's office are fulfilled.
The other question is whether juvenile criminal law and preventive detention apply.
According to Hollstein, juvenile criminal law is about whether there is a lack of maturity.
At the time, his client was sentenced under juvenile law and served three years in a juvenile prison.
The question now is where a “post-maturation” should have taken place: “What is different now than before the imprisonment?” The act itself is not a “youth-typical act”: “Everyone is aware of that.” However, the court must answer the question of Clarify maturity.
The question of repentance is not in the room.
The Syrian acted for religious reasons and is convinced that he did the right thing.