The Federal Prosecutor’s Office accused Syrian Mahmoud M. (36) of attempted murder, dangerous bodily harm and membership in the terrorist organization Islamic State. Now the judges questioned the psychiatric expert who had examined the defendant in prison. Mahmoud M. admitted to the expert that he had killed his brother in 2015. In addition, he had killed a man at a lake five years earlier.

While he initially remained silent about the accusations during the trial, the Syrian is also said to have confessed to the expert about the knife attack in Bielefeld. In the early morning of May 18, 2025, Mahmoud M. had stood in front of the bar “Cutie” in Bielefeld (NRW) with a knife and a stick sword stabbed at guests. He is said to have shouted “Allahu Akbar” several times.

According to the expert, the defendant is profoundly Islamist radicalized. “He has had a radical attitude for many years,” said the psychiatrist. The Islamist-jihadist ideology is an integral part of his personality and his value system. For this, he even accepted the breaking off of contact with his children.

Despite a difficult childhood, the expert did not want to attest to the defendant’s post-traumatic stress disorder. However, his mother’s rejection would have triggered deep bitterness, feelings of inferiority and psychological instability in him.

In Germany, Mahmoud M. has watched a lot of propaganda videos. The affiliation to the IS and a clear image of the enemy had channeled his anger, the specialist explained. The defendant himself denies having been active as an IS fighter. He had only worked as a real estate agent for the terrorist militia.

Source: https://www.bild.de/regional/nordrhein-westfalen/attentaeter-von-bielefeld-soll-zwei-maenner-in-syrien-getoetet-haben-6a032fbe9e875c402d54e8cd