Syrian admits triple murder at German trial for Solingen knife attack

Issa al H is accused of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group before the attack.

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"I have committed a grave crime, I am prepared to accept the verdict," Issa al H said in a statement read out by his defence lawyers at the start of his trial in the western city of Düsseldorf.

Issa al H, whose surname was not made public because of German privacy rules, is accused of being a member of the Islamic State jihadist group, and pledging allegiance to IS in videos shortly before the attack.

The stabbings took place as Solingen was holding a three-day festival to mark its 650th anniversary and came shortly before a series of key regional elections.

In the space of a year, German cities saw a string of deadly attacks, which began in Mannheim in May 2024, when an Afghan national stabbed a police officer at a rally.