Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Alaa Sheikhi said ahead of sentencing that he was not responsible for the death of Daniel Hillig

A Syrian man has been sentenced in Germany to nine and a half years in prison over the fatal stabbing of a man in Chemnitz last year.

Alaa Sheikhi, 24, was found guilty of "joint manslaughter and serious physical injury" over the death of Daniel Hillig, a 35-year-old carpenter.

A second suspect, an Iraqi, is thought to have fled Germany after the attack.

The case led to violent protests in Chemnitz, where far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has strong support.

Ahead of his sentencing on Thursday, Sheikhi denied any responsibility for the death of Hillig.

Speaking through an interpreter, he said: "I can only hope that the truth is brought to light here and that a just verdict is pronounced."

Sheikhi, who had reportedly remained silent throughout the trial, told German public broadcaster ZDF in a telephone interview just two days before the verdict that he did not touch either the victim or the knife that killed him.

"I just ran away," he said, adding: "I swear on my mother I did not touch him."

The sentencing comes one year after thousands of neo-Nazis marched through Chemnitz, where AfD hopes to increase its share of the vote in elections in Saxony and neighbouring Brandenburg on 1 September.

What do we know about the attack?

In the early hours of Sunday 26 August 2018, a fierce fight broke out between "multiple nationalities" on the sidelines of a street festival in the eastern German region of Chemnitz, near the Saxony capital of Dresden.

It remains unclear what triggered the brawl - police at the time dismissed online rumours that Hillig, who had a German mother and a Cuban father, had been defending a woman from sexual assault.

During the fight, Hillig was stabbed and critically injured. He later died in hospital of heart and lung wounds.

Two other German men with him at the festival, aged 33 and 38 at the time, were seriously hurt, police said.

Sheikhi, who arrived in Germany in 2015, was arrested hours after the attack, along with another Iraqi man, who was released due to a lack of evidence.

What about the protests?

Friends of the victim later told local media that misreporting following the incident had helped fuel far-right protests in the region.

Several xenophobic assaults were reported in the days after the attack. They were described as racist "hunts" and images emerged showing demonstrators chasing people and flinging bottles and fireworks.

The far-right protests, some involving thousands of people, led to violent clashes with police and counter demonstrators.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Protests over a the murder in the eastern city of Chemnitz turned violent last year

Chemnitz is a region where the AfD party and the Pegida movement are particularly strong. They deplore German Chancellor Angela Merkel's liberal immigration policy.

In 2015, Chancellor Merkel decided to let in a record 890,000 asylum seekers. Syrians fleeing the civil war comprised the biggest group. </s> DRESDEN — A Syrian man was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison by a German court on Thursday over the fatal stabbing of a man in the eastern city of Chemnitz last year that triggered the worst far-right riots Germany had seen for decades.

The verdict handed down in the city of Dresden in the high profile case comes just over a week before elections in the region in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is set to make big gains.

It is almost exactly a year since the stabbing which led to thousands of right wingers, including neo-Nazis and football hooligans, marching in Chemnitz and clashing with left wingers and police.

Images of skinheads or far-right demonstrators chasing migrants, performing the Hitler salute and attacking a Jewish restaurant, raised questions about how Germany should deal with the right wing, especially after the 2015-16 migrant crisis.

The 24-year-old Syrian, identified only as Alaa S., according to German rules, was convicted of manslaughter. The Cuban-German victim, Daniel Hillig, died of his injuries after being stabbed in Chemnitz on the sidelines of a local festival.

He was also convicted of inflicting serious bodily harm on another victim, Dimitri M., who was injured but survived.

“The accused was today found guilty of joint manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. He has therefore been sentenced to a jail term of nine years and six months,” a spokeswoman for the court said.

Defense lawyers, who had called for their client to be acquitted, argued there was no evidence that their client had helped stab the victim and said they would appeal.

German authorities have also issued an international arrest warrant for an Iraqi suspect who has been on the run since the incident. They believe he was the main culprit in the killing.

The trial took place in Dresden, the capital of Saxony state, rather than nearby Chemnitz because of the high level of public interest in the case. (Reporting by Reuters Television; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Alison Williams) </s> A court in the German city of Chemnitz convicts a Syrian asylum-seeker over a fatal stabbing last year that touched off far-right protests.

The state court in Dresden convicts Alaa S. of manslaughter and dangerous bodily harm in the killing last August of Daniel Hillig.

Judges sentence the 24-year-old defendant, whose last name wasn’t released in line with German privacy laws, to 9 years and 6 months in prison, slightly less than the 10-year-sentence prosecutors had demanded.

Defense lawyers had called for their client to be acquitted, citing lack of evidence.

An Iraqi suspect in the case is still being sought on an international arrest warrant.

Following the killing, thousands of neo-Nazis, members of the far-right Alternative for Germany party and others assembled in Chemnitz to protest against migration. </s> Berlin, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Aug, 2019 ) :A 24-year-old Syrian man is expected to face a court verdict Thursday over a knife killing that sparked far-right street violence and protests in the eastern German city of Chemnitz.

The ruling comes at a sensitive time, one year after thousands of neo-Nazis and enraged citizens marched through Chemnitz, and just over a week ahead of state elections in the ex-communist region.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has railed against immigrants and islam, is forecast to poll strongly in the state of Saxony and neighbouring Brandenburg on September 1.

In the high-profile manslaughter case, in which a verdict is expected after 1200 GMT, prosecutors charge that Alaa Sheikhi, together with an Iraqi man still at large, stabbed to death 35-year-old German Daniel Hillig in the early hours of August 26, 2018.

The Iraqi, a 22-year-old identified only as Farhad A.

, was first to confront Hillig, a carpenter with German-Cuban roots, according to the prosecution which wants Sheikhi jailed for 10 years.

Both the Arabs then allegedly stabbed Hillig, who died of heart and lung wounds, as well as another man, named as Dimitri M., who was badly injured.

Sheikhi, who arrived in Germany during the 2015 mass migrant influx to Europe, was detained hours after the attack, together with another Iraqi who was later released for lack of evidence.

Defence counsel for Sheikhi argued that the case against him is flawed and based only on questionable, late-night witness testimony rather than fingerprints, DNA or other forensic evidence.

The trial has been held in Saxony's capital Dresden for security reasons and because of what the court called the "extraordinarily high public interest". </s> A street festival in the eastern German city of Chemnitz was canceled on Sunday, hours before it was supposed to conclude, after 800 people took to the streets to protest the death of a 35-year-old man.

The victim, said to be of German origin, was stabbed during an altercation that involved 10 people, several of whom were of "various nationalities," police sources said.

The brawl took place at around 3 a.m. local time (0100 UTC) on Sunday after the street festival closed on Saturday evening, and began with a verbal dispute. Aside from the victim, two men in their 30s were also stabbed and seriously injured, while two others, aged 22 and 23, were taken into custody.

Far-right groups mobilize

Police had trouble clearing the unruly crowds that gathered Sunday afternoon, which included far-right groups. Authorities said they were generally uncooperative and hurled bottles at the officers. After police were overwhelmed by the spontaneous gathering, reinforcements had to be called from the larger nearby cities of Leipzig and Dresden.

Read more: City of Chemnitz: A city of clever heads

The mobilizations were spontaneous and are said to have originated by calls to demonstrate on social media. Among the groups that urged their supporters to take to the streets were the political party AfD, which is said to have gathered some 100 people on the streets. Bild reported that members of the right-wing "Kaotic Chemnitz" football group also were involved.

Video footage on social media appeared to show protesters assaulting people they thought looked non-German, but that footage has not yet been verified.

DW's Melinda Crane, who has been reporting on the incident for DW-TV, called the protests "absolutely coordinated and incited."

She said reports of the knifing had quickly found their way onto far-right websites that attributed the attack to migrants of what they called "southern origin" and urged people to protest.

Read more: Germany's Angela Merkel confronts far-right critics in AfD country

Chemnitz mayor: 'Horrified' by events

Police sources told German magazine Der Spiegel that several people had filed assault charges, including one German man, a woman of Bulgarian descent and a man of Syrian descent.

Chemnitz Mayor Barbara Ludwig told local media that she was "horrified" after seeing what took place in her city on Sunday.

Authorities have not yet spoken on what caused the deadly overnight altercation, but according to German media, rumors circulated alleging that the dispute began after a woman was reportedly harassed. Police said these reports had no basis and in a tweet called on the public "not to take part in speculations."

The street festival, which ran all weekend, was set to conclude at 8 p.m. local time on Sunday, but was abruptly ended at 4 p.m. due to the confrontation between the police and demonstrators in the afternoon.

The right-wing movement "Pro Chemnitz" has called on Facebook for more demonstrations on Monday, while leftist groups have planned counterprotests.

jcg/bw (AP, dpa)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> Alaa S., suspected of being responsible for the stabbing of Daniel H. in Chemnitz, arrives for at a court in Dresden

DRESDEN, Germany (Reuters) - A German court sentenced a Syrian asylum seeker to nine and a half years in prison on Thursday over the fatal stabbing of a man in the eastern city of Chemnitz last year that triggered the worst far-right riots Germany had seen for decades.

The verdict handed down in the city of Dresden in the high profile case comes barely a week before elections in the region in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to make big gains. The AfD welcomed the verdict.

It is almost exactly a year since the stabbing which led to thousands of right-wingers, including neo-Nazis and soccer hooligans, marching through Chemnitz and clashing with left- wingers and police.

Images of skinheads or far-right demonstrators chasing migrants, performing the Hitler salute and attacking a Jewish restaurant, raised questions about how Germany should deal with its far-right, especially after the 2015-16 migrant crisis.

The 24-year-old Syrian, identified only as Alaa S., according to German rules, was convicted of manslaughter. The Cuban-German victim, Daniel Hillig, died of his injuries after being stabbed in Chemnitz on the sidelines of a local festival.

The Syrian was also convicted of inflicting serious bodily harm on another victim, Dimitri M., who was injured but survived.

"The accused was today found guilty of joint manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. He has therefore been sentenced to a jail term of nine years and six months," a spokeswoman for the court said.

Defense lawyers, who had called for their client to be acquitted, argued there was no evidence that their client had helped stab the victim and said they would appeal.

German authorities have also issued an international arrest warrant for an Iraqi suspect who has been on the run since the incident. They believe he was the main culprit in the killing.

The AfD said on Facebook it hoped the Iraqi suspect would be found soon and added that Chemnitz had been unfairly "branded as a playground for right-wing radicals".

"No verdict will return Daniel H. to his family and friends but at least it brings some justice in a reality that claims new victims every week," it said.

Opinion polls show that the AfD could become the biggest party in the two eastern states of Saxony and Brandenburg, which hold elections on Sept. 1.

The trial took place in Dresden, the capital of Saxony state rather than in nearby Chemnitz because of the high level of public interest in the case. </s> BERLIN: A 24-year-old Syrian man was sentenced to nine and a half years in jail on Thursday (Aug 22) for a knife killing that sparked racist street violence and far-right protests in the eastern German city of Chemnitz.

The court found that Alaa Sheikhi, together with an Iraqi man still at large, stabbed to death 35-year-old German Daniel Hillig in the early hours of Aug 26 last year.

The manslaughter conviction comes at a sensitive time, one year after thousands of neo-Nazis and enraged citizens marched through Chemnitz, and 10 days before state elections in the ex-communist region.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has railed against immigrants and Islam, is forecast to poll strongly in the state of Saxony and neighbouring Brandenburg on Sep 1.

The court heard that the fugitive Iraqi, a 22-year-old identified only as Farhad A., was first to confront Hillig, a carpenter with German-Cuban roots.

Both he and Sheikhi then stabbed Hillig, who died of heart and lung wounds, as well as another man, named as Dimitri M, who was badly injured.

Sheikhi, who arrived in Germany during the 2015 mass migrant influx to Europe, was detained hours after the attack, together with another Iraqi who was later released for lack of evidence.

Defence lawyer Ricarda Lang had argued that the case against Sheikhi was based only on questionable, late-night witness testimony rather than fingerprints, DNA or other forensic evidence.

Lang also asserted, shortly before the verdict, that the court may convict and jail the defendant because "someone needs to take the blame so that Chemnitz stays quiet".

The trial was held not in Chemnitz but in Saxony's state capital Dresden, for security reasons and because of what the court called the "extraordinarily high public interest".

News of the killing a year ago spread within hours on social media and led neo-Nazis, angry football hooligans, extremist martial arts fans and others to march through Chemnitz.

In some cases, the mobs randomly attacked people of foreign appearance and, in follow-up mass rallies, fascist activists openly performed the illegal Hitler salute.

Local Jewish, Turkish and Iranian restaurants at the time became targets of xenophobic vandalism.

As the extremist AfD, Pegida and Pro Chemnitz movements marched in Chemnitz, and anti-fascist groups organised large counter-protests, a political fight also raged in Berlin.



In a controversy that shook Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government, the then-domestic spy chief Hans-Georg Maassen, an outspoken critic of her liberal immigration policy, questioned her assessment that the violence amounted to organised "hunts" of ethnic minorities.

Maassen, a member of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), eventually had to step down. But he has recently been touring eastern Germany with speaking engagements outlining his hardline stance on immigration and security.

The Chemnitz unrest threw a harsh spotlight on the drab city of 240,000 people, formerly known as Karl-Marx-Stadt, which has had an extremist subculture since the turbulent years after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.

In the 1990s it was an early hideout for a militant neo-Nazi cell dubbed the National Socialist Underground, which was only uncovered in 2011 after its members had murdered nine immigrants and a police officer.

Last October, police arrested eight men accused of having formed the far-right militant group "Revolution Chemnitz".

And in March, fans of fourth-tier football club Chemnitzer FC paid tribute to the recently deceased former security chief Thomas Haller, co-founder of a group called "HooNaRa", short for Hooligans-Nazis-Racists. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A passer-by filmed the moment police shot the attacker

A man has died and two other people were hurt after a man drove into a pedestrian area in Heidelberg, Germany.

The attacker, said to have been armed with a knife, was shot, injured and arrested by police in a brief standoff after fleeing the scene on foot.

His motives are unclear, but there are no indications this was a terrorist attack, police say.

In December an Islamist attacker drove a lorry into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring 49.

In Heidelberg the attacker, described by police as a 35-year-old German "without a migration background", drove what is thought to be a rental car into pedestrians in one of the city's central squares, injuring three people. One of them, a 73-year-old German man, later died in hospital.

Image copyright AP Image caption The motives for the attack are unclear, police say

The attacker then left the car but was tracked down, shot and seriously injured by police.

Police were unable to confirm local media reports that the attacker was mentally disturbed. He is thought to have acted alone.

The two injured people were a 32-year-old Austrian national and a 29-year-old Bosnian woman, police said. Their injuries are said to be minor and they have been discharged from hospital. </s> BERLIN (AP) – German police say one person died after a man with a knife attacked several people at a supermarket in Hamburg.

Police in the northern port city said the attacker was arrested.

They said on Twitter that the motive for the incident Friday in Hamburg’s Barmbek district wasn’t immediately clear.
One man is killed, two more are seriously injured and partly violent protests erupt after a stabbing attack in Chemnitz, Germany.