A Palestinian man who confessed to a knife attack at a Hamburg supermarket has been sentenced to life in prison. One man died and six more were wounded in the July 2017 attack.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Heimken
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Ahmad A., a 27-year-old Palestinian, has been given a life sentence for wielding a knife in an Edeka supermarket in the Hamburg district of Barmbek last July. He was convicted of murder, attempted murder and grievous bodily harm in six cases.
During the trial, the defendant confessed to the offense, which he said was a "contribution to worldwide jihad." The defendant entered a supermarket on July 28 last year, snatched a knife from the shelves and stabbed a 50-year-old man to death. Six more were wounded in the attack.
Outside the shop, seven people — most of them migrants — prevented further mayhem by hurling rocks and chairs at the attacker and subduing him until police arrived.
Hamburg knife attacker was 'known' radical
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No chance for early release
The Hamburg court also stressed the "particular severity of the crime," a legal term in Germany that usually means the convict is unlikely to be released early.
Prosecutors had said the attack stemmed from a "radical Islamist" motive, charging that the man had hoped "he would die as a martyr." Links to the "Islamic State" (IS), however, could not be confirmed. During the course of the trial, however, he shaved off his beard and apologized to the victims in court.
Ahmad A. came to Germany in 2015, having been rejected for asylum in Norway, Sweden and Spain. He was due to be deported after his asylum application was also rejected in Germany, but the process was held up because authorities were still waiting for the necessary identification documents.
Editor's note: Deutsche Welle follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.
ng/kms (dpa, AFP)
GSG 9: Germany's elite anti-terror squad
Germany is planning to expand its elite GSG9 police unit in view of the continuing terrorist threat. The group has a distinguished history going back more than four decades.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Hannibal
Ready to cope with extreme situations
The GSG9, which stands for Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (Border Protection Group 9), was set up in 1972 after regular German police failed to rescue Israeli hostages kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympics. Its formation was controversial, with some politicians in Germany feeling the group was reminiscent of the notorious Nazi SS.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/Hannibal
Establishing a top reputation
The GSG9's very first mission, called "Operation Fire Magic," established its high reputation. After Palestinian terrorists hijacked a Lufthansa plane in 1977, the GSG 9 managed to rescue passengers in a seven-minute operation in Mogadishu. A GSG 9 member and a flight attendant were injured, while three of four hijackers were killed. Sadly, the pilot was killed before the operation took place.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/dpaweb
Reward for a mission accomplished
Ulrich Wegener, who was a founding member of GSG 9, received an Order of Merit from the German government after the successful mission. Wegener, who became known as the "Hero of Mogadishu," died on December 28, 2017, at the age of 88. He was always uncomfortable with his popular title, saying recently: "We did the work together."
Image: imago/Sven Simon
Deployed at sea ...
The GSG 9 goes into action in hostage situations, in cases of terrorism and to undertake bomb disposal. But it is also deployed to secure locations, as here ahead of the 2007 G8 summit in the northern resort town of Heiligendamm.
Image: Getty Images/A. Hassenstein
... and on land
Most of the GSG 9's missions are confidential, but it is said to have participated in more than 1,900 operations since being founded. It is currently based in the western town of Sankt Augustin, near Germany's former capital, Bonn.
Image: picture-alliance/U. Baumgarten
Always in training
The GSG 9 members undergo rigorous training for all eventualities. Here, they practice dealing with an attack by armed terrorists on a railway station. Plans are now underway to expand the unit by a third and give it another headquarters in the capital, Berlin. Although the number of members is kept a secret, media currently put it at around 400.
