An Afghan man was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for a jihadist stabbing spree in Germany last year that killed a police officer and left five people wounded.
The 26-year-old defendant, identified as Sulaiman Ataee, was convicted by the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court of murder and attempted murder, with judges finding the particular severity of guilt—ruling out the possibility of release after 15 years.
Ataee carried out the knife attack on May 31st, 2024, during an anti-Islamism rally led by activist Michael Stürzenberger in the western city of Mannheim. He stabbed police officer Rouven Laur in the neck, inflicting fatal injuries, and wounded five other people before being shot and arrested by police.
The court heard that Ataee arrived in Germany in 2013 as an unaccompanied minor and had his asylum claim rejected, but authorities imposed a deportation ban due to his age. In 2019, he married a German woman and later fathered two children, gaining temporary residency. He lived on welfare benefits before the attack.
Judges concluded that Ataee had undergone years of radicalisation, identifying strongly with the Islamic State group and aiming to kill Stürzenberger and as many others as possible. His case triggered national outrage, leading to calls for stricter knife laws and memorial services for the slain officer attended by thousands.
