Germany jails Syrian asylum seeker for deadly ISIS stabbing
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A German court sentenced on Wednesday a Syrian asylum seeker to life in prison for murdering three people during a stabbing spree at a cultural festival in western Germany in August 2024, an attack prosecutors linked to the Islamic State (ISIS).
The Düsseldorf state court found 27-year-old Issa al-Hassan guilty of three counts of murder, 10 of attempted murder, and membership in ISIS.
Judges ruled that his crimes carried “particularly serious guilt,” meaning he will not be eligible for release after 15 years, as is usually possible under German law.
Al-Hassan attacked visitors at Solingen’s “Festival of Diversity,” marking the city’s 650th anniversary. He later admitted to the killings in a statement read by his lawyers, saying: “I killed innocent people, not infidels … I deserve and expect a life sentence.”
Prosecutors said al-Hassan targeted people he considered “representatives of Western society” in revenge for Western military actions. He had pledged allegiance to ISIS in videos recorded before the attack and shared them with a contact who encouraged him to carry out the assault. ISIS later claimed responsibility via its Amaq outlet.
The case fueled debate in Germany over migration and deportation policy. Al-Hassan had applied for asylum in Germany but was slated for deportation to Bulgaria in 2023, which he evaded by disappearing.
The Solingen attack was one of several violent incidents involving asylum seekers in the run-up to Germany’s February 2025 elections, which saw far-right parties make significant gains.