Police in the German town of Bielefeld arrested a Syrian man May 19 as the prime suspect in a stabbing attack on a group of bar customers the previous day.
Prosecutors in North Rhine-Westphalia charged the man, identified by police as Mahmoud Mehmed, on May 20 with attempted murder combined with grievous bodily harm.
In the early hours of May 18, Mehmed allegedly attacked a group of young people celebrating a soccer victory by Bielefeld’s local team in front of Cutie, a popular student bar in the heart of the city.
Mehmed reportedly used a cane containing a hidden blade, known as a swordstick, for the attack.
He slashed and stabbed at least five people, four of whom were gravely injured. The victims were all male and between 23 and 28 years old.
Two people were critically injured, though according to reports are now out of danger.
Mehmed fled the scene, leaving his bag behind. It contained a petrol-like substance, leading investigators to believe he had planned a more far-reaching attack.
According to German news site Nius. the man is said to be a native of Raqqa, a Northern Syrian town known as a haven for Islamist militants and former capital of the Islamic State (IS) terror group.
The man reportedly travelled from Turkey to Germany overland via the Balkans and Czechia, without claiming asylum in any of the states he crossed.
In Germany, he then claimed asylum and received subsidiary protection in December 2023, and subsequently in February 2024 gained a temporary residency permit until 2027.
Former housemates of Mehmed’s in his refugee home claimed he was in regular contact with alleged members of IS.
One acquaintance told German daily Die Welt, “he was always talking about war, killing, political and religious topics.”
That newspaper’s sister tabloid Bild reported Mehmed had publicly stated he was planning to join IS and return to Syria to fight in the war.
The attack has renewed Germany’s debate over migration.
Ferdinand Knauss, a commentator for the German monthly Cicero, said “For the inhabitants of this country it does not really matter whether a knife murderer stabs you out of Islamist motives or due to psychological issue”.
The more urgent question was “when the protection of the population will finally be politically prioritised over taking in and caring for supposed refugees,” he added.
