The Syrian admitted to conducting a knife attack in Solingen, the German town where three people died last August.
“I have committed a serious crime, I am ready to accept the verdict,” Issa al-H said in a statement read by his lawyers at the start of his trial in Dusseldorf, in the western part of the country.
Issa al-H, whose surname is not public due to German privacy rules, has been accused of being a member of the Islamic State jihadist group and pledged allegiance just before the attack.
Solingen held a three-day festival to celebrate its 650th anniversary, and when he came just before a series of major regional elections, the stab wounds were made.
Over the course of a year, German cities saw a series of deadly attacks. This began in Mannheim in May 2024 when Afghan nationals stabbed a police officer at a rally.
Most of the attackers have been described as having immigrant backgrounds, and the killings played a key role in the national debate leading up to the German federal election in February.
While most mainstream parties have strengthened their language of transition, the far-right AFD is considered to benefit most from the rising vote, finishing second in almost 21% of votes. They have since narrowed the gap between Prime Minister Friedrich Merz and the conservatives even further.
The man accused of the Solingen knife attack on August 23rd arrived in Germany as a refugee in 2022, but was ordered to be deported there as he had already registered in Bulgarian asylum.
By the time German authorities tried to deport him in 2023, he disappeared.
On Tuesday, Issa Al H appeared on the high security wing of a courthouse in Dusseldorf in a blue t-shirt, leaving his head lowered for most of the time he stood on the dock.
He is charged with three murders and 10 count attempted murders and further charges of serious physical harm.
Prosecutors claim he approached him as a contact for a jihadist social media forum prior to the attack, which he was helped to plan and choose his murder weapon.
In his statement, Issa al-H, read out by his lawyer, stated, “I killed an innocent person, not a pagan.”
One of the people injured in Solingen’s attack sat in court Tuesday, her arms in a sling, reminding her of the wounds he had inflicted on the city.
“My client hopes this trial will help improve the healing process,” said Athanasios Antonakis, a lawyer acting on behalf of his mother and daughter injured in the attack.
