The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office has obtained a new arrest warrant for the alleged knife attacker in Bielefeld. Mahmoud M. was brought before the investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice on Wednesday, as the authorities in Karlsruhe announced. The 35-year-old Syrian is said to have deliberately stabbed guests at a bar on May 18 who were celebrating the promotion of their soccer club. Four people were critically injured.
After the crime, M. fled and was arrested in the late evening of the following day near Düsseldorf. He was already in custody on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the Bielefeld district court. The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office took over the investigation on May 20 because it was suspected that the crime was a religiously motivated attack on the free democratic basic order.
On Monday, it became known that the suspect may have been in contact with the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS) before the attack. The federal prosecutor's office has now published further details of the allegations. M. is said to have joined IS in Syria in December 2014 at the latest.
He is said to have worked for the organization as a guard and border guard until spring 2016. After entering Germany, he allegedly decided to kill as many people as possible in the name of a so-called holy war for IS, who were to be selected at random.
The investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice has now ordered that he be remanded in custody. The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office suspects M. of membership of a foreign terrorist organization, attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm.
On Monday, Federal Prosecutor General Jens Rommel warned that IS was still succeeding in mobilizing supporters for attacks in Germany, for example. Radicalized individual perpetrators who are not specifically linked to a violent group also pose a danger, he said.
From breaking news to thought-provoking opinion pieces, our newsletter keeps you informed & engaged.
