A 29-year-old asylum seeker from Afghanistan is on trial at the Stuttgart Regional Court for attempted murder after a young woman was stabbed repeatedly and seemingly at random in Kirchheim unter Teck earlier this year.
Prosecutors allege the attacker ambushed his 27-year-old victim from behind on March 14, putting her in a chokehold before stabbing her six times in the arm, shoulder, and thigh.
According to the indictment, the woman had finished work and was walking toward the town center when she was attacked without warning on a narrow footpath between Senefelderstrasse and Henriettenstrasse. Bleeding heavily, she managed to cry for help as the assailant fled. Emergency responders were dispatched, and she was rushed to the hospital.
As reported by Esslinger Zeitung, the authorities were initially unable to identify the perpetrator. Police patrols and an extensive helicopter search produced no immediate leads. It was only weeks later that investigators arrested the suspect, who was already in custody for two burglaries at a local bank. The forensics taken at the time of his arrest matched those on the database acquired from the attack.
Authorities say the man had broken into the same savings bank branch twice, on Feb. 20 and again on April 14. He was released after the first burglary but detained following the second. His DNA was found both on the knife used in the stabbing and on the victim’s jacket.
Despite this, the defendant denies the charges. Through his lawyer, he told the court, “It wasn’t me,” claiming he cannot explain how his DNA was found on the weapon and suggesting other residents of his accommodation may have used the knife.
As Bild reported, during a psychiatric evaluation, the defendant expressed his frustration over his asylum situation. He had applied for asylum in France but was rejected on two occasions before submitting two further applications in Germany. He told the expert he wanted to return to Afghanistan but lacked a passport, and that acquaintances advised him to commit crimes so he could be deported. He allegedly admitted carrying out the bank burglaries for this purpose.
The victim is understood to be suffering both physically and psychologically months after the attack. “I can no longer leave the house alone, I have no stamina, and my mobility is limited,” she said, adding, “My life has been turned upside down.”
The trial, which began last week, continues on Monday, with a verdict expected early next month.
