# 2023 Brokstedt stabbing

On 25 January 2023, a mass stabbing occurred on a train in Brokstedt, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Two persons were killed, while eight others were injured. The perpetrator had arrived in Germany in 2014 and was granted subsidiary protection in 2016, even though he had been known to police. The public prosecutor saw the motive for the crime as anger and frustration with 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, the perpetrator stabbed nine people on a moving passenger train in Brokstedt, Steinburg, Schleswig-Holstein, in Northern Germany. The train was traveling 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 19-year-old boyfriend.
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 was injured himself, was arrested and taken to hospital.

## Suspect

Sabine Sütterlin-Waack, the interior minister of Schleswig-Holstein, announced the suspect in custody to be a 33-year-old stateless man named Ibrahim A. from the Palestinian territories. He was not known to be on any extremist watch lists. The suspect reportedly came to Germany in December 2014, lived first in North Rhine-Westphalia and then in Schleswig-Holstein. He 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. His application was rejected on 12 July 2016. Instead, he was granted subsidiary protection, even though he had been known to police for sexual and violent offenses. At the time, he had already been sentenced twice 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. The charges listed included 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. Most of these proceedings were discontinued, but four resulted in convictions - one suspended sentence for dangerous bodily harm, two fines for theft, and one sentence for a drug offense (2018). From 21 January 2022 to 19 January 2023, a jailed in Billwerder prison. On 18 August 2022, the St. Georg Local Court of Hamburg sentenced him to one year and one week imprisonment for dangerous bodily harm and theft. A. appealed the sentence. On 19 January 2023, he had to be released, as he had completed serving his one-year sentence, 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 other physical altercations took place. A prison officer noticed on 6 August 2022 that Ibrahim A. was talking to himself, repeating the phrase, 'Big car, Berlin, the truth.' He asked another staff member on two occasions whether they wanted to 'get under the tires' as well. 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 in the 2016 Berlin truck attack, Anis Amri.'There is not just one Anis Amri - there are several, and I am one of them.'
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.