German court convicts a Palestinian man of murder over a fatal stabbing on a train last year

The defendant Ibrahim A. is brought into the courtroom in handcuffs, in Itzehoe, Germany, Monday April 15, 2024. A court on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, convicted Ibrahim of murder and sentenced him to life in prison for carrying out a fatal stabbing on a train in northern Germany last year.

A German court handed down a life sentence to a man on Wednesday for committing murder during a fatal stabbing incident on a train last year.

The state court in Itzehoe convicted the 34-year-old Palestinian, known only as Ibrahim A. in accordance with German privacy regulations, for murder and attempted murder, as reported by the German news agency dpa.

The court found that he fatally stabbed two teenagers and seriously wounded four other passengers during the incident on January 25, 2023, in Brokstedt, a town in northern Germany. The attack occurred on a regional train traveling from Kiel to Hamburg, and Ibrahim A. was subdued by fellow passengers after the assault.

The defendant, originally from the Gaza Strip, arrived in Germany in 2014.

The defendant Ibrahim A. is brought into the courtroom at the China Logistic Center in handcuffs and shackles by court officials, in Itzehoe, Germany, Wednesday May 15, 2024. In the trial for a fatal knife attack in northern Germany, the Itzehoe district court sentenced the defendant Ibrahim A. to life imprisonment for murder and attempted murder.

A psychiatric expert testified during the trial that Ibrahim A. exhibited psychotic symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder but could still be held criminally accountable for his actions. The defense advocated for his transfer to a psychiatric facility.

Investigators revealed that the perpetrator had a prior criminal record and was in pretrial detention for another case before being released shortly before the attack. He had traveled to Kiel for an appointment with immigration authorities, and prosecutors believe his actions were driven by frustration.

Candles and flowers stand and lie in a waiting shelter at Brokstedt station, Germany, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. Two young people were killed and five injured in a knife attack on a regional train from Kiel to Hamburg in Brokstedt on Jan. 25, 2023. A court on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, convicted a man of murder and sentenced him to life in prison for carrying out a fatal stabbing on a train in northern Germany last year.

Given the gravity of the crime, Ibrahim A. is unlikely to be eligible for release after 15 years, the typical duration in such cases in Germany.