A 21-year-old American tourist was stabbed in the face early Sunday after stepping in to defend a young German woman from two men harassing her on a tram.
What began as a heated exchange quickly turned violent: the tourist was first beaten, then slashed with a knife when one of the attackers returned minutes later. The carriage was left covered in blood as passengers used scarves and handkerchiefs to stem the bleeding until emergency services arrived. The victim was rushed to the hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
Police arrested one suspect shortly after the attack—Majd A., a 21-year-old Syrian with previous convictions for theft and assault, who had tried to flee on a rented e-scooter. Investigators believe he started the fight with punches but did not wield the knife. The actual stabber remains at large.
Prosecutors nevertheless released Majd A. the same day, arguing there was insufficient evidence to charge him with the stabbing and that there was no flight risk, given his permanent residence in Dresden. The decision has fueled anger in a city long used to migrant-linked violence since the 2015 crisis.
The victim himself posted a video on social media blasting German migration policy. “If anyone thinks Europe doesn’t have a problem with immigration, especially Germany, let me tell you what happened to me. One of the attackers was released immediately simply because he is not a German citizen. Police know them all—they’re illegal, repeat offenders—and yet they’re still on the streets.”
While Dresden reels, some politicians are striking a very different tone. Martin Patzelt, the socialist former mayor of Frankfurt (Oder), dismissed tighter border controls as “nonsense” and instead called for more openness. In comments branded delusional by critics, he suggested young Germans should perform their mandatory volunteer year in migrants’ countries of origin to “foster mutual understanding.”
It is not the first time Patzelt has raised eyebrows: during the 2015 migration wave, he urged Germans to host refugees at home, personally taking in two Eritreans. Ten years later, in a climate of knife attacks, sexual assault, and rapidly decreasing public safety, such proposals appear increasingly detached from public sentiment.
