2023 Brokstedt stabbing

Brokstedt stabbing
Location	Brokstedt, Steinburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Date	25 January 2023 3 p.m. (CET, UTC+01:00)
Attack type	Mass stabbing
Weapons	Bladed weapon
Deaths	2
Injured	8 (including the suspect)
Motive	Anger and frustration at his personal situation
Convicted	Life
Verdict	Guilty
Charges	Two counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder
Judge	Johann Lohmann

On 25 January 2023 a mass stabbing occurred on a train in Brokstedt, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. A 33-year-old stateless man from the Palestinian territories stabbed nine people on a moving passenger train, killing two. He came to Germany in 2014 and was granted subsidiary protection in 2016, even though he was known to police for sexual and violent offenses with 24 preliminary and criminal proceedings. He had been in police custody until one week before the attack. The public prosecutor saw the motive for the crime as anger and frustration at his personal situation. In February 2023, "considerable shortcomings in the communication and administration of the authorities involved in immigration" were found.

Attack

At about 3 p.m. on 25 January 2023, a 33-year-old man of Palestinian origin stabbed nine people on a moving passenger train in Brokstedt, Steinburg, Schleswig-Holstein, in Northern Germany. The train was travelling from Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein to Hamburg and was carrying about 70 people. Two of the victims were killed and seven others injured, three of them severely. The deceased victims were identified as a 17-year-old girl and her boyfriend, who was 19. The attack allegedly ended when passengers restrained the attacker until the police arrived and arrested him at the train station in Brokstedt. The station was shut down to facilitate the ongoing emergency response efforts. The suspect, a man, identified as Ibrahim A., who was also injured, was arrested and taken to hospital.

Suspect

Sabine Sütterlin-Waack, the interior minister of Schleswig-Holstein, announced the suspect in custody was 33-year-old stateless Ibrahim A. from the Palestinian territories. He was not known to be on any extremist watch lists, but the attack was under investigation. The suspect reportedly came to Germany in December 2014, lived first in North Rhine-Westphalia and then in Schleswig-Holstein. He was granted subsidiary protection in 2016 even though he was known to police for sexual and violent offenses and was in police custody for one year until a week before the attack.

Ibrahim A. was registered in the district of Euskirchen and fell under the jurisdiction of the Euskirchen Foreigners Authority (Auslaenderamt). In his asylum application of 22 January 2015, he stated that he was from the Gaza Strip, stateless and persecuted by Hamas. The application was rejected on 12 July 2016; however, A. was granted subsidiary protection. At that time, he had already been sentenced twice to fines for theft (2015) and proceedings were ongoing against him for assault. On 26 July 2016, Ibrahim A. was given a suspended sentence of one year for dangerous bodily harm.

From September 2015 to January 2021, there had been 24 preliminary and criminal proceedings against Ibrahim A., most of which were discontinued. The only four final convictions were one suspended sentence for dangerous bodily harm, two fines for theft and one drug offence (2018). The offences or offence charges listed are: Theft, fraud, dangerous bodily harm, drugs, sexual harassment, damage to property, child abuse, rape of persons unfit to resist, driving without a license and trespassing. From 21 January 2022 until 19 January 2023 A. was in Billwerder prison. On 18 August 2022, the St. Georg Local Court of Hamburg sentenced Ibrahim A. to one year and one week imprisonment for dangerous bodily harm and theft. A. appealed against the sentence. On 19 January 2023, he had to be released, because a one-year sentence had been served and a decision on appeal was not expected in the foreseeable future. Six days later, the knife attack happened in Brokstedt.

While in custody, Ibrahim A. behaved conspicuously. He insulted inmates and court staff and physical altercations took place. A prison officer noticed on 6 August 2022 that Ibrahim A. was "stammering to himself": "Big car, Berlin, that's the truth." To another staff member, he twice expressed whether the latter also wanted to "get under the tyres". In a so-called perception sheet in the prisoner's personnel file, it was recorded in August 2022 that he also compared himself to the attacker at 2016 Berlin truck attack on Breitscheidplatz, Anis Amri. "There is not only one Anis Amri, there are several, I am also one."

Ibrahim A. was charged with two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to life in prison by judge Johann Lohmann from the Itzehoe district court on 15 April 2024.

Motivation

The prosecutor's office did not assume a terrorist background, although Ibrahim A. was said to have compared himself with Anis Amri. Rather, they saw the motive for the crime as anger and frustration at his personal situation.

Reactions

On 22 February 2023, the Schleswig-Holsteinischer Landtag deliberated a proposal Lessons from the Brockstedt case: Improving communication with the authorities and establishing consistent deportation. Considerable shortcomings in the communication and administration of the authorities involved in immigration were found.

See also

• Würzburg train attack
• List of mass stabbings in Germany