It all began with an argument between two married couples and ended with an alleged manslaughter in Germany and a subsequent blood feud in Syria. On Tuesday, two brothers therefore had to sit in the dock at Cologne District Court.
The prosecution accuses Syrians Shalan M. (40) and Mohammed A. (55) of killing their sister-in-law’s brother next to a bus stop in Leverkusen (North Rhine-Westphalia) on the 18th of February this year.
The sister of the deceased wanted to separate from her husband, the brother of the two accused. This is said to have led to an argument over money, among other things. After an initially verbal argument, the two brothers are said to have attacked their victim with broken picket fences on the day of the crime.
When he fled, they followed the man and allegedly stabbed him with a knife and a piece of broken glass. He suffered 18 stab wounds and lost a lot of blood. Due to his serious injuries, the man died two weeks later in hospital.
He was not the only victim of the family feud. When the brother of the two defendants travelled to Syria in May, blood revenge presumably followed. He was shot dead in his home country.
On the first day of the trial, Shalan M. admitted through his lawyer that he had stabbed his opponent with the broken glass bottle, but spoke of self-defence. In the courtroom, he apologised for his actions.
The trial will continue.
Prozess in Köln: Brüder wegen Totschlags vor Gericht | Regional | BILD.de