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> 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> A 24-year-old Syrian man was sentenced to nine- and-a-half years in jail Thursday for a knife killing that sparked racist street violence and far-right protests in the eastern German city of Chemnitz

Berlin, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Aug, 2019 ) :A 24-year-old Syrian man was sentenced to nine- and-a-half years in jail Thursday 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 August 26 last year.

Defence lawyers appealed the verdict, arguing that the court had buckled under societal and political pressure, but chief justice Simone Herberger said she saw "no doubt about his guilt".

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.

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 was "not unaffected by the political situation in Chemnitz" and may convict 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". </s> A Syrian asylum seeker accused of a killing that sparked a week of far-right street violence in the eastern German city of Chemnitz in 2018 has been found guilty of manslaughter.

Alaa Sheikhi, 24, was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison by the Chemnitz higher regional court on Thursday.

The trial was held in the state capital of Dresden for security reasons and because of what the court called the “extraordinarily high public interest”.

The timing of the ruling is sensitive, coming just a over a week before state elections in Saxony in which the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative für Deutschland could emerge as the strongest party.

The court verdict also comes almost exactly a year after Sheikhi and an accomplice are believed to have stabbed to death 35-year-old Daniel Hillig, a carpenter with German-Cuban roots, following a confrontation.

The main suspect, a 22-year-old Iraqi man referred to in German media only as Farhad A, remains at large and is believed to have fled the country.

The atmosphere in Chemnitz turned sour soon after news of Hillig’s death became public, culminating in two days of far-right street violence that left several people injured.

Some people were filmed chasing foreigners through streets, while others were seen with Nazi-linked banners and giving the straight-arm salute.

After police shut down a street festival, Chemnitz became the scene for a week of far-right protests, attended by thousands of neo-Nazis from across the country.

The Chemnitz riots also threw into doubt the future of Angela Merkel’s coalition government. At the time, the German chancellor’s spokesperson, Steffen Seibert, condemned the attacks, saying “such riotous assemblies, the hunting down of people who appear to be from different backgrounds or the attempt to spread hate in the streets, these have no place in our country”.

But the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, Hans-Georg Maaßen, directly contradicted the chancellor, telling the Bild newspaper that he shared “the scepticism towards media reports of rightwing extremists chasing down foreigners in Chemnitz”, and that “deliberate misinformation” had been spread.

In the fall-out over the comments Maaßen lost his job and the governing coalition between Merkel’s centre-right CDU and the centre-left SPD clashed to a point where their working alliance appeared to be on the brink of collapse. </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 court in Germany has sentenced a Syrian man to nine and a half years in jail over a fatal stabbing that sparked far-right riots in the eastern city of Chemnitz.

Judges on Thursday convicted asylum seeker Alaa Sheikhi of manslaughter and dangerous bodily harm in the killing of a German national in August 2018.

Defence lawyers appealed the verdict. They said there was no evidence the 24-year-old defendant had helped stab Hillig and suggested the court had been swayed by the political debate in the high-profile case.

But chief justice Simone Herberger said she saw "no doubt about his guilt".

The verdict comes barely a week before elections in the two eastern states of Saxony and Brandenburg, in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to make big gains.

The trial took place in Dresden, the capital of Saxony, rather than Chemnitz, for security reasons and because of what the court called the "extraordinarily high public interest".

The court heard that a fugitive Iraqi, a 22-year-old identified only as Farhad A, was the first to confront 35-year-old Daniel Hillig in the early hours of August 26 last year. He and Sheikhi then stabbed Hillig, a carpenter with German-Cuban roots. The victim died of internal injuries.

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

The main suspect in the case is still being sought on an international arrest warrant.

Sheikhi, who denies the charges against him, remained silent throughout much of the trial. He spoke only on the last day to say he hoped "the truth is brought to light and a fair verdict is given".

Ricarda Lang, a defence lawyer, argued 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 was "not unaffected by the political situation in Chemnitz" and may convict the defendant because "someone needs to take the blame so that Chemnitz stays quiet".

Following the killing, thousands of neo-Nazis, members of AfD, and football hooligans assembled in Chemnitz to protest against migration.

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.

The violence also spurred counterdemonstrations by supporters of immigration in Chemnitz.

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

Opinion polls show that the AfD could become the biggest party in Saxony and Brandenburg in the September 1 elections. </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> 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.
A Syrian man is jailed for manslaughter in relation to a stabbing in Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany last year. The killing sparked far-right protests and riots in the city.