Life Sentence for Afghan National in Mannheim Stabbing

A German court has sentenced an Afghan national to life imprisonment after he was convicted of stabbing a police officer to death and injuring five others at an anti-Islam rally in Mannheim. The attack, which occurred in May 2024, has intensified the debate surrounding deportations to Afghanistan.

Sulaiman A, the 26-year-old defendant, was found guilty of wielding a hunting knife during the demonstration organized by the group Pax Europa. After attacking a speaker and other participants, he fatally wounded a police officer who tried to intervene.

Prosecutors noted his alleged sympathies for the Islamic State, though he was not charged with terrorism. The Stuttgart court ruled that Sulaiman A's crimes carried a 'special gravity of guilt,' making him ineligible for parole. This verdict remains subject to appeal.

(With inputs from agencies.)