According to North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul, the knife attack on a teacher at a vocational college in Essen last Friday could have an Islamist background. In the case of the 17-year-old Kosovar suspect, evidence pointing to this is mounting, said the CDU politician in the interior committee of the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament. ‘The Federal Prosecutor General is currently reviewing whether to take over the case,’ said Reul.
The woman was seriously injured in the knife attack. An arrest warrant was issued for the young man, who was injured during his arrest. A large-scale operation involving special forces was carried out.
Reul said that the charge currently stands as attempted manslaughter. However, following a recent evaluation of data storage devices, ‘evidence of a religiously motivated crime’ has been found. When questioned by the committee, the minister clarified that ‘evidence of an Islamist motive is mounting.’ This evidence consists of videos made by the suspect. He was unable to provide any further details.
The Essen public prosecutor’s office has also informed the Central Office for Combating Terrorism. The young man had already been reported to the police in 2023 for ‘threats, violation of the Weapons Act, grievous bodily harm and possession of child pornography’. However, he was not known to the police’s state security department beforehand.
However, according to initial suspicions, the suspect could also be responsible for another attempted homicide last Friday, Reul said. On that day, a homeless person was attacked with a knife in Essen city centre. According to the minister, investigators are also treating this case as attempted murder. The attack on the 45-year-old teacher was therefore not the only attempted homicide on that day. However, Reul said that no premature conclusions should be drawn.
The 17-year-old Kosovar was critically injured by police gunfire during his arrest on Friday. Investigators said that due to his health condition, the arrest warrant could not be served until Sunday. As of Monday, the teenager was no longer in critical condition but remained in hospital for treatment.
According to a police spokesperson, officers were alerted at around 9.30 a.m. on Friday and cordoned off the building. Special forces also took part in the operation. Several media outlets reported that a helicopter was flying over the scene of the crime.
After attacking the teacher, the alleged perpetrator is said to have run towards police officers with a knife in a park in Essen, according to the news agency dpa, citing security sources. He was eventually shot and injured during his arrest near the main railway station, police said.