German prosecutor charges man in fatal Mannheim stabbing case

Germany's Public Prosecutor has brought charges against a man in relation to a fatal knife attack in the south-western city of Mannheim, a spokeswoman from the prosecutor's office said on Wednesday.

The prosecutor accused the man of murder, attempted murder and grievous bodily harm. The state senate is now to decide whether to schedule a trial.

The man is charged with injuring five participants of a rally of the Islam-critical movement Pax Europa and a police officer in a market square in Mannheim at the end of May. The police officer later died of his injuries.

Another police officer shot the attacker, who had to be taken to hospital, where he underwent surgery.

He was arrested a few weeks later and has been in custody since mid-June.

The German prosecutor assumes the attack was religiously motivated. Prosecutor General Jens Rommel said that the accused had resorted to massive violence, presumably to prevent criticism of Islam. He said he did not see a link to jihadism in the case.

The attacker, who is originally from Afghanistan, came to Germany as a teenager in 2013 and applied for asylum, which he was denied presumably because of his age, dpa learned.