German court convicts suspect of murder in police killing, sentences him to life in prison
German court convicts suspect of murder in police killing, sentences him to life in prison
BERLIN (AP) — The suspect in a knife attack that killed a police officer in the southwestern German city of Mannheim was convicted Tuesday of murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Officer Rouven Laur, 29, died after the stabbing on May 31, 2024. Five members of Pax Europa, a group describing itself as opposing “political Islam,” were wounded in the attack.
The Stuttgart Higher Regional Court convicted the suspect, who has been identified as Sulaiman A. in line with German privacy rules, of murder as well as four counts of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm, German news agency dpa reported.
The court found Sulaiman A. carries “particularly serious” guilt, meaning he won’t be eligible for Germany’s normal release after serving 15 years.
The Afghan citizen, who was 25 at the time of the attack, had lived in Germany for about a decade and had his asylum application rejected, dpa reported.
During the trial, federal prosecutors presented evidence of how Sulaiman A. became radicalized over the years and identified with the ideology of the Islamic State group. The suspect confessed his crimes and expressed remorse, dpa reported.
The attack, which took place before last year’s European Parliament elections, sparked a debate in Germany about the deportation of foreign criminals. The government later announced it would allow the deportation of serious criminals back to Afghanistan.
