State protection procedure: With the hunting knife against “unbelievers” process after attack

He looks slimy and thin, the man with the nickel glasses, the red sweatshirt and blue fabric pants: 26-year-old Sulaiman A. sits on the dock in the process after the fatal knife attack on the Mannheim market square. The Afghan hides his face behind a red act cover. He pursues the reading of the five pages long charges without external emotion. Sometimes he strokes his striking beard.

The attack on May 31, 2024 took only a few seconds, blurred videos of various cell phone cameras still show the dramatic scenes on the Mannheim market square on the Internet. Nevertheless, the trauma of those involved only give you an idea: Sulaiman A. attacked the rally of the Islam -critical citizens’ movement Pax Europa (BPE) with an 18 centimeter hunting knife, injured six people – the 29 -year -old police officer Rouven Laur died two days later.

Charge for murder and attempted murder

The process has now begun more than eight months after the fatal knife attack: The Federal Attorney General has raised indictment against Sulaiman A. for murder and attempted murder before the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court. He assumes that the accused has sympathy for the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS). He decided to commit an attack on supposedly unbelievers and go to Mannheim’s market square on May 31, 2024.

The accused had recently lived with wife and children in Heppenheim in Hesse – around 35 kilometers northeast of Mannheim. From the Taliban’s seizure of power in 2021, he began to be interested in their ideology, said Chief Prosecutor Verena Bauer.

“Religious duty to kill supposedly unbelievers”

Sulaiman A. then dealt intensively with Islam and pursued radical scholars on social media, and finally developed sympathy for IS. Ultimately, he was convinced that it was not only legitimate, but his religious duty to kill supposedly unbelievers.

The 26-year-old was led to the strictly secured hall 1 of the Higher Regional Court in Stuttgart-Stammheim in the morning. Members of the killed police officer, including the mother, were also present as co -plaintiffs.

Designed wants to provide information about the person

The defenders announced that their client would provide information. The Afghan initially does not want to provide information about the matter, i.e. the crime and the allegations.

At the start, the accused confirmed the judge’s biographical data such as his name, his place of birth and that he is married. On the question of whether he was pursuing a profession before the crime, he said: “I was only at school.”

A “young, nice man”

A defender described his mandates as nice during a break. “It makes an extremely positive impression, you have to say,” he said. He was a “young, nice man” who is almost perfectly powerful to the German language. To the defense strategy, he said: “It is our goal to represent him as a person.” There was certainly preliminary conviction.

The accused continues to learn a lot of support from his family. “The wife is standing by him,” said the defender. It may also be testified in the procedure.

More than 50 process days until the end of October

For the procedure, more than 50 process days are initially scheduled until the end of October. As a co-plaintiff, several injuries also occur in the proceedings, including the BPE board member Michael Stürzenberger.

According to information from the German Press Agency, the attacker came to Germany as a teenager in 2013 and applied for asylum. The application was rejected in 2014. However, a ban on deportation was imposed, presumably because of its youth. He was not aware of the police before the crime.

Deed triggered intensive debate about strict deportations

According to the police, 8,000 people came together for a commemorative rally in Mannheim a few days after the crime. The crime also triggered an intensive debate about stricter deportations of foreign criminals. As a consequence, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) announced that the deportation of serious criminals to Afghanistan and Syria again.

The mayor of Neckarbischofsheim and friend of the family of the killed police officer Rouven Laur was disappointed with politics at the start of the trial. Many promises were made after the knife attack, said Thomas Seidelmann (independent). “If you talk to police officers here or speak to police officers all over Germany, then you notice that it has been very, very much announced, very little happens.”

Serious psychological consequences for participants

The bloody deed also left its mark on the Pax Europa Citizens’ Movement. “The one who injured at the time is going to be resolved, according to the circumstances,” said treasurer Stefanie Kizina. “The most severe injured party is still in daily rehabilitation measures due to severed muscles and nerves and still has pain. The psychological consequences are significant for everyone who was in this nightmare.”

With the procedure and a later judgment, the police union (GdP) calls for a strong signal to society and politics. “We also expect the perpetrator nothing more than a lifelong sentence with a special severity of the guilt,” said Federal Chairman Jochen Kopelke. “In addition, we expect the deportation from custody test.”

The mother of Rouven Laur, Petra, wanted to comment on the procedure after the trial start, but was overwhelmed by her feelings and broke her opinion. Seidelmann was stunned after the prosecution with a view to the behavior of Sulaiman A.: “This lack of participation was terrifying.”