(AFP) A Syrian held in Germany over a weekend knife attack that seriously wounded four people allegedly told the police officers who arrested him that he had jihadist beliefs, media reported Wednesday.
The suspect, identified only as Mahmoud M., 35, was arrested late Monday for attempted murder and serious assault over the stabbing outside a bar in the western city of Bielefeld in the early hours of Sunday.
Federal prosecutors said on Tuesday “there is suspicion the act was religiously motivated” and Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said “indications have now grown that the perpetrator acted out of an Islamist motivation.”
While he was on the run after the knife attack, police found a bag containing his identity documents and a bottle filled with a liquid that smelled of petrol at the scene.
