In yet another knife attack involving a foreigner, a Somali man stabbed a 46-year-old man in the neck outside a supermarket in the small town of Waltershausen. Thirty police officers arrived on scene and took him into custody.
At 5:30 p.m., the incident started with the 27-year-old Somali man purposefully coughing on customers at random inside the “Netto” discount supermarket. He then began threatening them and randomly entering into arguments with various customers.
When a 46-year-old man asked the Somali man to stop, the Somali man allegedly threatened to kill him. The victim then told the Somali to calm down, at which point the Somali stabbed him in the neck, according to the Welt newspaper.
The victim was able to evade the attacker, thus preventing further stab wounds, and other witnesses nearby intervened to stop the Somali. The victim was able to escape with only minor injuries, despite suffering a stab wound to the neck.
The incident triggered a major police operation, with 30 police officers arriving on scene to arrest the Somali man, who was intoxicated. He is now being charged with attempted manslaughter, violent disorder, and threats. He is known for previous crimes as well and has convictions on his record.
“The accused reportedly said to the victim and other people, ‘I will kill you and your families.’ He is then said to have stabbed the victim in the neck with a knife and knowingly accepted his death,” said a public prosecutor.
He faces 15 years in prison.
The small town, which is 50 kilometers west of Erfurt in the eastern state of Thuringia, is one of the strongholds of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the country. Voters will elect a new state government there on Sunday, with the AfD expected to get at least 30 percent of the vote.
The stabbing attack follows a wave of knife crimes involving migrants, including the Solingen knife attacks which killed three Germans at the Festival of Diversity a week ago. Foreigners now account for a record share of violent crimes in the country, as per government statistics from 2023.