BERLIN — A Syrian man went on trial Monday accused of killing a German man and seriously injuring another in an attack last year that prosecutors said was motivated by Islamic extremist ideology.
The trial of Abdullah A.H.H., whose full name wasn’t released due to German privacy laws, began in the eastern city of Dresden, where the attack took place on Oct. 4.
Federal prosecutors allege that the defendant used a kitchen knife to attack the two men, aged 55 and 53, because he believed they were a gay couple and considered this to be a “grave sin.” He was arrested almost three weeks after the crime and has been in custody since then.
The 21-year-old defendant is charged with murder, attempted murder and causing serious bodily harm.
The defendant had been released from prison a month before the attack after serving a sentence for promoting the extremist Islamic State group and attacking a prison guard.
Prosecutors alleged that the defendant, who came to Germany as a refugee in 2015, had planned to carry out a further attack, details of which weren’t immediately known.
