BERLIN, May 15 (Xinhua) -- A 34-year-old man who stabbed and killed a young couple on a train in Germany in early 2023 was sentenced to life in prison, the Itzehoe regional court in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein ruled on Wednesday.
The assailant, who arrived in Germany in 2014, launched a sudden attack on passengers aboard a regional train in northern Germany in January 2023, using a kitchen knife stolen from a supermarket. A 17-year-old girl and her 19-year-old boyfriend died as a result of the assault, with four other passengers injured heavily.
The perpetrator had a prior criminal record. The prosecution noted that the assailant's frustration over an immigration office setback on the day of the crime contributed to his actions.
Despite exhibiting psychotic symptoms and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the court rejected the defense's plea to place the convict in a psychiatric facility, affirming his culpability. ■
