Attacker Convicted to Spend Life in Prison for Stabbing Incident near Brokstedt
A 34-year-old man named Ibrahim A. has been sentenced to life in prison after attacking passengers with a kitchen knife on a regional train in Schleswig-Holstein, resulting in the deaths of two teenagers. The court in Itzehoe reaffirmed the prosecution's demand for his punishment.
At the trial for the fatal knife attack in Brokstedt, Schleswig-Holstein, Ibrahim A. was found guilty of murder and attempted murder. He killed two people and injured four others on a train journeying from Kiel to Hamburg in January 2023. The court also established the degree of guilt, making a suspended sentence after 15 years highly improbable.
The afternoon of January 25, 2023, Ibrahim A. produced a kitchen knife in the regional train en route from Kiel to Hamburg and abruptly began attacking passengers. A 17-year-old girl and her 19-year-old friend lost their lives, while four others sustained severe injuries. Once the perpetrator was overcome by passengers, the horrific event transcended Schleswig-Holstein's boundaries.
The Grand Criminal Chamber adhered to the expert opinion of psychiatrist Arno Deister when assessing culpability. The professor diagnosed psychotic symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the accused but not psychosis. "I don't detect any impairment in the ability to comprehend," he stated. Additionally, no lack of control was evident.
The court's final decision was in accordance with the sentence requested by public prosecutor Janina Seyfert. Meanwhile, defense attorney Björn Seelbach argued that his client should be confined to a forensic psychiatric facility. He pleaded for ten years in prison for manslaughter and grievous or dangerous bodily harm if the criminal court could not declare any constrained culpability or lack of capacity.
Prior to the attack, Ibrahim A. had been held in Hamburg on account of another crime. A man who originated from the Gaza Strip and had a tolerated stay permit in Germany ventured to Kiel for a scheduled meeting with the immigration authorities. The public prosecutor's office attributes the act to desperation on his part.
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Source: www.ntv.de
