Man convicted of stabbing attack on German train that injured 4

German news agency dpa reported that prosecutors, who argued there was an extremist Islamic motive for the attack, had called for a life sentence while defense lawyers did argue that their client was a paranoid schizophrenic who could not be held criminally responsible and called for his acquittal. Trial judges ruled out that he suffered from mental illness at the time of the attack, dpa reported.

The attack took place on an ICE high-speed train traveling from Passau, on the Austrian border, to Hamburg on November 6, 2021. Authorities initially said the man attacked his victims seemingly at random and showed signs of mental illness, but that there was no immediate indication of a terrorist motive.

Prosecutors later said Islamic State propaganda videos were found of the suspect and information on his Facebook account also pointed in that direction.

Police said the suspect arrived in Germany in 2014 and was granted asylum in 2016. He lived in Passau.

The train stopped in Seubersdorf, between the Bavarian towns of Regensburg and Nuremberg, after the attack and investigators said the suspect was arrested quickly and without resistance.