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A Syrian teenage ISIS supporter who allegedly slit a man's throat at a German Holocaust memorial in February has gone on trial in Berlin today.
The 19-year-old shouted 'Allahu akbar' as he attacked the Spanish tourist in what prosecutors say was a bid to wage a 'holy war against infidels'.
The suspect, partially named as Wassim Al M, is accused of being a supporter of the Islamic State group who intended to 'target a person of the Jewish faith' through the attack, according to the court.
Prosecutors say he approached the 30-year-old victim from behind among the concrete steles of the memorial and 'inflicted a 14-centimetre-long (more than five inch) cut to his throat with a knife''.
The victim, who was visiting the memorial with two friends, was badly injured but managed to stagger out of the steles before collapsing in front of the memorial.
On Thursday, prosecutors told the court that Wassim Al M had 'internalised IS ideology, rejected the Western way of life, and was convinced that a holy war against infidels must be waged worldwide'.
They say he shouted 'Allahu akbar', meaning God is the greatest, immediately after the attack.
The suspect had travelled from his home in Leipzig southwest of Berlin to carry out the attack, according to the court, motivated by his support for IS and 'driven by the escalation of the Middle East conflict'.
Syrian national Wassim Al M., 19 years old, sits in the courtroom as his trial for attempted murder begins at the Moabit Criminal Court, in Berlin, Germany, 20 November 2025
Pictured: Police officers arrest a man near the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, Germany, 21 February 2025, after another man was stabbed
Shortly before carrying out the attack, he allegedly sent a photo of himself to members of IS via a messaging service and offered his services as an IS member.
Wassim Al M was arrested at the scene with blood stains on his hands. He was carrying a copy of the Koran and a prayer rug, police said at the time.
In a statement, Berlin Police said the victim had sustained life-threatening injuries to the neck when he was attacked with a knife.
Wassim al M arrived in Germany in 2023 as an unaccompanied minor and successfully applied for asylum, according to asylum records seen by Bild, and had been living in Leipzig.
The scene of the crime - the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is in the centre of Belin and is one of the main Holocaust Memorials in Germany.
It first officially opened its doors on May 10, 2005, and was set up to commemorate the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust during World War II.
The assault shocked Germany two days before February's general election after a campaign centred heavily on immigration and security fuelled by a series of deadly stabbing and car ramming attacks carried out by migrants.
Germany is home to around a million Syrians - many of whom arrived during the huge influx of refugees that peaked in 2015 under former chancellor Angela Merkel.
Since the overthrow of president Bashar al-Assad in December, debate has grown heated around whether they should return to Syria.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in particular has called for them to go home, highlighting recent high-profile violent crimes.
The government is in talks with Syria's new Islamist-led government to resume deportations of violent criminals.
The 19-year-old shouted 'Allahu akbar' as he attacked the Spanish tourist in what prosecutors say was a bid to wage a 'holy war against infidels'.
The suspect, partially named as Wassim Al M, is accused of being a supporter of the Islamic State group who intended to 'target a person of the Jewish faith' through the attack, according to the court.
Prosecutors say he approached the 30-year-old victim from behind among the concrete steles of the memorial and 'inflicted a 14-centimetre-long (more than five inch) cut to his throat with a knife''.
The victim, who was visiting the memorial with two friends, was badly injured but managed to stagger out of the steles before collapsing in front of the memorial.
On Thursday, prosecutors told the court that Wassim Al M had 'internalised IS ideology, rejected the Western way of life, and was convinced that a holy war against infidels must be waged worldwide'.
They say he shouted 'Allahu akbar', meaning God is the greatest, immediately after the attack.
The suspect had travelled from his home in Leipzig southwest of Berlin to carry out the attack, according to the court, motivated by his support for IS and 'driven by the escalation of the Middle East conflict'.
Syrian national Wassim Al M., 19 years old, sits in the courtroom as his trial for attempted murder begins at the Moabit Criminal Court, in Berlin, Germany, 20 November 2025
Pictured: Police officers arrest a man near the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, Germany, 21 February 2025, after another man was stabbed
Shortly before carrying out the attack, he allegedly sent a photo of himself to members of IS via a messaging service and offered his services as an IS member.
Wassim Al M was arrested at the scene with blood stains on his hands. He was carrying a copy of the Koran and a prayer rug, police said at the time.
In a statement, Berlin Police said the victim had sustained life-threatening injuries to the neck when he was attacked with a knife.
Wassim al M arrived in Germany in 2023 as an unaccompanied minor and successfully applied for asylum, according to asylum records seen by Bild, and had been living in Leipzig.
The scene of the crime - the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is in the centre of Belin and is one of the main Holocaust Memorials in Germany.
It first officially opened its doors on May 10, 2005, and was set up to commemorate the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust during World War II.
The assault shocked Germany two days before February's general election after a campaign centred heavily on immigration and security fuelled by a series of deadly stabbing and car ramming attacks carried out by migrants.
Germany is home to around a million Syrians - many of whom arrived during the huge influx of refugees that peaked in 2015 under former chancellor Angela Merkel.
Since the overthrow of president Bashar al-Assad in December, debate has grown heated around whether they should return to Syria.
The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in particular has called for them to go home, highlighting recent high-profile violent crimes.
The government is in talks with Syria's new Islamist-led government to resume deportations of violent criminals.
