Arrest Warrant Against a Suspected Member of the Foreign Terrorist Organisation ‘Islamic State’ on grounds of the knife attack in Solingen Obtained and Put into Effect

Year of issue 2024
Date 25.08.2025

Today (25 August 2024), the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office obtained an arrest warrant against

Syrian national Issa Al H.

from the Investigating Judge at the Federal Court of Justice.

Issa Al H. is strongly suspected of membership in a foreign terrorist organisation (section 129a para. 1 no. 1, section 129b para. 1 sentences 1 and 2 of the German Criminal Code [StGB]), three counts of murder (section 211 para. 2 StGB) as well as eight counts of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm (sections 211 para. 1, section 223 para. 1, section 224 para. 1 nos. 2 and 5, sections 22, 23 StGB).

In essence, the arrest warrant sets out the following allegations:

Issa Al H. adheres to the ideology of the foreign terrorist organisation ‘Islamic State’ and joined the organisation sometime before 23 August 2024. Guided by his radical Islamist ideology, he decided to kill as many alleged non-believers as possible at the Solingen city festival on 23 August 2024. Accordingly, he used a knife to stab festival-goers in their necks and torsos from behind. Three victims died and another eight sustained partially serious injuries.

The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office took over the proceedings from the Düsseldorf Attorney General’s Office early this morning (25 August 2024). The suspect had been apprehended and provisionally arrested last night (24 August 2024). He was brought before the Investigating Judge at the Federal Court of Justice today who issued an arrest warrant and ordered that the suspect be placed in pre-trial detention.