A Muslim asylum seeker who was arrested for stabbing a fellow refugee in the head for converting to Christianity after flushing his crucifix down the toilet will only face GBH charges.
The suspected perpetrator, a refugee from Iraq identified as 30-year-old Issa A., has been charged with GBH by prosecutors in Dusseldorf, the capital of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Issa A. lived in refugee housing in the nearby town of Langenfeld with a 32-year-old refugee from Iran.
According to local media, Issa A. was outraged that his fellow Muslim had converted to Christianity.
On 23th July 2017, the Iraqi national attacked his Iranian housemate when he returned home from church.
According to the indictment, Issa A. first tore a necklace with a Christian cross from his housemate s neck and threw it in the toilet.
He then allegedly returned with an eight-inch knife and stabbed the Iranian refugee in the left side of his head, leaving a two-inch long wound.
An artery was severed and the victim lost lots of blood, after which he fell unconscious.
However, doctors were able to save the Iranian Christian’s life.
Police initially investigated Issa A. on suspicion of manslaughter, but prosecutors finally revised the charges to GBH for currently unreported reasons.
A trial has been scheduled by the Dusseldorf regional court, which has set out five trial days to handle the case.
If found guilty, the suspect faces up to 10 years in prison.
