Knife attack in Bielefeld: The police are chasing IS sympathizant Mahmoud M.

Knife attack in Bielefeld: The police are chasing IS sympathizant Mahmoud M.

In Bielefeld, a severe knife attack on guests of a bar has requested several injuries. The suspect, a native Syrian named Mahmoud M., is suspected of having committed the crime out of religious motives. This is reported by the Sächsische Zeitung . In the incident that occurred at night, the investigators use witnesses to identify the perpetrator.

After the knife attack, Mahmoud M. fled from Bielefeld Central Station in the direction of Essen. However, the police were able to track him down quickly after a witness informed the police that the suspect had opened the German rail app on his cell phone. Ultimately, he was arrested by special units at 10:42 p.m. in an empty apartment in Heiligenhaus. Mahmoud was slightly injured in the arrest and is now in custody for attempted murder and dangerous bodily harm.

Investigations and backgrounds

The Federal Prosecutor's Office has taken over the investigation in this case because there is suspicion of a religiously motivated act. A document with religious content found at Mahmoud M., as well as a note with the black banner Islamist groups indicate a connection to the Islamic State (IS). This information was confirmed by the SPIEGEL

Mahmoud M. had entered Europe in December 2023 and had received temporary protection status in Germany. His background and the increasing knife attacks in Germany raise questions about the motives and the origin of the perpetrators. Studies by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) show that there has been an increase in crimes with knives since 2020. In 2023, 8,951 knife attacks were registered in connection with dangerous and serious bodily harm, a significant increase compared to previous years.

social implications

The discussion about knife attacks in Germany is influenced by the belonging of the suspects. According to the Stern were many of the 180 German suspects in 2023, while the majority of the perpetrators are men. People from Syria, Poland and Turkey played an important role among the non-German suspects.

Society now faces the challenge of fighting the increase in violence with knives, while at the same time the roots of this violence have to be examined. In particular, the interweaving of religious ideologies and extremist acts of violence is the focus of the police and the judiciary.