Agency Report –
The trial of a Syrian national accused of killing three people in a terror attack at a local festival in the western German city of Solingen is set to begin on May 27, a Dusseldorf court said on Tuesday.
Only identified as Issa Al H. under Germany’s strict privacy laws, the 27-year-old Syrian is suspected of stabbing and killing three people and injuring 10 at the Solingen outdoor “Festival of Diversity” celebrating the city’s 650th anniversary last year.
The Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court has admitted the federal prosecutor’s indictment and scheduled 22 trial days until September 24, it said.
Issa Al H. has been charged with three counts of murder and ten counts of attempted murder, according to the indictment.
He is also accused of having pledged allegiance to Islamic State.
The terrorist militia has claimed responsibility for the attack on August 23, 2024. Issa Al H. has been in custody since then.
According to EU asylum rules, he was supposed to have been deported to Bulgaria by 2023, after requesting asylum there first. But when authorities sought to deport him, they were unable to locate him at the shelter for refugees where he was living at the time.
The attack is one of several last year that have fuelled debate about deportations of migrants and domestic security.
A committee of enquiry in the Dusseldorf state parliament is looking into why authorities failed to send Issa Al H. back to Bulgaria.
