Defendant confesses in trial over deadly attack on Germany's Solingen

Yahoo

6 days ago

The man accused of an attack in the German city of Solingen that left three people dead last year has confessed on the first day of his trial.
The suspect, a Syrian national named as Issa al H. under German privacy laws, admitted to the stabbing on Tuesday in a statement on his behalf read out by defence lawyers.
"I have brought heavy guilt upon myself. I am ready to accept the judgement," he said. "I killed innocent people, not infidels."
The trial began in a high-security wing at the Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court, months after the attack at a street festival in Solingen on August 23, 2024.
The defendant is charged with three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder.
He is accused of membership in the Islamic State terror group, having allegedly pledged allegiance to the organization in videos hours before the attack.
Prosecutors said before the start of the trial that the man sought contact with Islamic State in radical online forums. Operatives then offered him guidance, including in the choice of weapons.
The accused entered the courtroom dressed in a blue t-shirt and kept his head mostly bowed in the dock.
A total of 12 co-plaintiffs are listed in the trial, including people injured in the attack and relatives of the victims.
The fatalities were two men aged 56 and 67 and a 56 year-old woman. Eight people were injured in the attack.