Alexander Z. (49) used to stand in combat gear in a trench in Ukraine. With an assault rifle in his hands, he defended his homeland against Putin’s invading army. Yet he did not meet his end on the battlefield: it was his own son (15) who is alleged to have stabbed the soldier in the chest with a knife after the family moved to Dortmund, whilst his father was lying on the sofa.
Two stab wounds struck the soldier, piercing his lung and heart. Paramedics fought in vain to save the father’s life. Alexander Z. died on the sofa, covered in blood. His son Kevin, who dialled the emergency services himself, was arrested at the scene.
Neighbours describe him as kind and polite. The newspaper *BILD* has learnt from investigative sources that the teenager had converted to Islam a year before the incident.
According to information obtained by BILD, the Homicide Squad believes the teenager may have become radicalised. It remains unclear whether this was a motive for the alleged murder of his own father. Friends of the teenager have told BILD that Kevin owned a copy of the Koran and prayed daily on a carpet in his bedroom. He is also said to have visited a mosque regularly.
Searching for clues in the apartment building in the Hörde district of Dortmund, where the family lived a secluded life: what neighbours there have said suggests that another motive is at least conceivable. There are said to have been repeated arguments in the flat. One neighbour claims that there was even domestic violence.
Another neighbour recalls the day of the brutal attack: she heard Alexander Z.’s screams. “Then it suddenly became quiet,” said the resident.
Did Kevin Z. attack his father because there had been yet another family row? Or did the teenager drift into Islamist circles and therefore grabbed a knife? The police are now investigating the exact circumstances behind the attack.
Ali Mojab (36) has taken on the teenager’s defence. The experienced lawyer told BILD: “In order to be able to give a definitive assessment, the exact circumstances of the crime must first be clarified. It must also be examined whether, in this case, dialling the emergency number could constitute a defence that exempts him from criminal liability.”