BERLIN — A 27-year-old Syrian refugee, Issa al-H., has been sentenced to life in prison for a terrorist attack he carried out at a festival in the German city of Solingen last year. The court in Düsseldorf, which handed down the verdict on Wednesday, stated that the suspect was a member of the Islamic State group.
The Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court imposed the maximum sentence, convicting him on three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder. The court also determined that he carries “particularly serious” guilt, which means he will not be eligible for release after the usual 15 years in Germany and is unlikely to ever be set free. The suspect’s lawyer had told the court that his client killed innocent people and deserved a life sentence.
At the end of the trial, al-H. claimed he could not bear to see people dancing in Germany while children were being killed in Gaza. The attack took place on August 23, 2024, when the suspect attacked people with a knife at a street party celebrating the 650th anniversary of the western German city. The rampage resulted in the deaths of three people and injuries to 10 others.
