“More is not possible”
Maximum penalty – IS supporter sentenced after two murder attacks in Duisburg
Maan D. in the Duisburg regional court
© Federico Gambarini / DPA
Eight months after the murderous knife attacks in Duisburg, a self-confessed IS supporter has been sentenced to the highest punishment that the German judiciary can impose. The 27-year-old says he hopes for paradise.
For the last time he enters the courtroom in Düsseldorf with the greeting of the IS fighters, the raised index finger. A few moments later, Maan D. is sentenced for his murderous knife attacks in April Duisburg the maximum penalty. The Higher Regional Court sentenced the radical Islamist to life imprisonment on Tuesday for murder and four counts of attempted murder.
The court also notes the particular gravity of his guilt, which practically rules out release after a minimum prison term of 15 years. It also imposes subsequent preventive detention.
“Terrorist attitude” of the Duisburg murderer
“The defendant explained his terrorist sentiments with an openness that was unusual for the Senate,” said presiding judge Jan van Lessen. “He believes that he has recognized the true religion in the militant ideology of jihadism.”
Only in Germany and exclusively via the Internet Maan D. radicalized. He mainly visited the websites of the terrorist organization Islamic State. This shows the danger posed by ideologically blind individual perpetrators like him.
In April he was so radicalized that he took action, the judge said. “He assumed that sooner or later he would be shot by police officers and die as a martyr.”
On April 9th, 35-year-old Irfan D. fell victim to the intention of killing randomly selected people, whom he killed with 28 stab wounds on the street at night. The victim’s DNA was later discovered on the defendant’s sports shoes.
Four seriously injured in Duisburg gym
Then on April 18, he entered a gym in Duisburg “in order to kill as many men as possible because of his radical Islamist views.” To do this, he pretended that he wanted to complete a trial training session. The victims in the shower and changing area were completely surprised by his attacks. He suddenly stood in front of them and stabbed them. All four surviving victims are still suffering from the crimes to this day, the court said.
Friends finally recognized and identified the Syrian on video recordings. He confessed to his crimes and justified them with politically motivated revenge for alleged crimes against Muslims.
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Man D. is fully responsible. His jihadist ideas pointed to a paranoid delusion. According to a psychiatric expert, this could be explained by the defendant’s religious beliefs.
Suspension of sentence after 15 years would be inappropriate even if the prognosis was good. He also revealed a tendency to commit serious crimes and thus fulfilled the requirements for preventive detention. In this way, he expressed his intention to commit further acts, the judge said.
“I hope that he doesn’t get out again. We suffer every day,” said the father of the killed Irfan D. after the verdict was announced. “I almost had a heart attack, the way he looked so cold in the hall opposite me, this beast.”
“More is not possible”
“This is legally the highest that could be said,” said a co-plaintiff. “That’s why we’re happy. That could help us process what happened. Nothing more is possible.”
The Syrian showed no remorse, no compassion and had announced further crimes, a representative of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office said. He followed the slogan of the terrorist group Islamic State to turn the entire world into a theater of war.
“I wanted to kill as many people as possible. I wanted to commit more acts until I was killed, so that I would die as a martyr,” he confessed on the second day of the trial.
On Monday he spoke again: “You can judge whatever and how you want,” he said. “We hope that God will take us to paradise.” He showed no reaction to the verdict on Tuesday.
The defendant came to Germany via the Balkan route in 2015 to avoid military service and applied for asylum in 2016. He was given an apartment in Duisburg, where he lived mainly on social benefits.
His parents were teachers in Syria. The German course offered was too strenuous for him and he dropped out. He said he had no interest in permanent work.
After the first bloody act on April 9th in Duisburg, he distributed a publication by the terrorist group “Islamic State” on his Facebook account: “The Islamic State will remain. Its soldiers are expanding the battle fronts day by day until the entire earth becomes one only jihad field,” it says.