A 20-year-old Syrian national was convicted of attempted murder for stabbing a Spanish tourist in February 2025. The attack inflamed an already heated migration debate ahead of federal elections.A Berlin court on Thursday sentenced a Syrian national to 13 years in prison over a stabbing attack at the German capital’s Holocaust memorial days before federal elections last year.
The 20-year-old defendant stabbed a Spanish tourist visiting the memorial in February 2025.
He was convicted of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and attempted membership of a terrorist organization, the court said.
The defendant approached the 30-year-old victim from behind and “inflicted a 14-centimeter-long (more than five-inch) cut to his throat with a knife.” The victim was badly wounded but survived the attack.
Berlin Holocaust memorial attacker given
A 20-year-old Syrian national was convicted of attempted murder for stabbing a Spanish tourist in February 2025. The attack inflamed an already heated migration debate ahead of federal elections.
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White roses placed on a concrete slab of the Holocaust memorial to mark the International Holocaust Memorial Day in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026
Berlin’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe commemorates the Jewish victims of the HolocaustImage: Markus Schreiber/AP Photo/picture alliance
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A Berlin court on Thursday sentenced a Syrian national to 13 years in prison over a stabbing attack at the German capital’s Holocaust memorial days before federal elections last year.
The 20-year-old defendant stabbed a Spanish tourist visiting the memorial in February 2025.
He was convicted of attempted murder, grievous bodily harm and attempted membership of a terrorist organization, the court said.
The defendant approached the 30-year-old victim from behind and “inflicted a 14-centimeter-long (more than five-inch) cut to his throat with a knife.” The victim was badly wounded but survived the attack.
What did the court say about the crime?
Prosecutors accused the defendant of having “internalized IS ideology, rejected the Western way of life,” and being “convinced that a holy war against infidels must be waged worldwide.”
The court’s presiding judge Doris Husch said he had committed the crime “in the name of the Islamic State (IS) group.”
Ahead of the trial the court said in a statement that the defendant had intended to “target a person of the Jewish faith.”
The 20-year-old confessed to the crime during the trial, saying he had been motivated by his radicalization and belief he was acting with a religious mission.
“My shame is too deep, I ask for forgiveness,” he told the court, according to his lawyer.
As he was 19 at the time of the attack, the judges had to decide if he would be tried under juvenile or adult law. Germany has a special system for offenders aged 18-20.
They decided to treat him as an adult, based on his emotional and psychological maturity at the time.
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