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CRIME

Life sought for killer of Egyptian ‘veil martyr’

German prosecutors said on Tuesday they would push for a life sentence against a man charged with the brutal xenophobic murder of a pregnant Egyptian woman, dubbed the "veil martyr."

Life sought for killer of Egyptian 'veil martyr'
Photo: DPA

Prosecutors in the eastern city of Dresden said Alex W., a 28-year-old Russian-born German, was motivated by “a pronounced hatred of non-Europeans and Muslims.” As psychiatric experts had found no evidence of diminished responsibility, prosecutors said they would seek a life sentence.

Further information on when a trial might take place will be announced later in the week, they said.

On July 1, Alex W. set upon Marwa al-Sherbini as she gave evidence against him in a court in Dresden, stabbing her 16 times in the chest and back with an 18-cm-long (seven-inch) knife in front of her young son, the prosecution said.

The death of the 31-year-old fuelled anti-German sentiment in some Muslim countries including in her home country and Iran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blamed the German government for the killing, while demonstrations were staged outside the German embassies in Tehran and Cairo.

The murderer, who previously called the headscarf-wearing Sherbini an “Islamist” and a “terrorist,” also stabbed her geneticist husband Elwy Okaz, who was shot in the leg by confused courtroom police who took him for the attacker. The man has also been charged with Okaz’s attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.

Alex W. is a Spätaussiedler, or “late emigrant”, the name given to eastern

Europeans of German descent entitled to German citizenship. They have settled in Dresden in large numbers following the reunification of Germany in 1990.

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BUSINESS

Elon Musk visits Tesla’s sabotage-hit German factory

Elon Musk travelled Wednesday to Tesla's factory near Berlin to lend his workers "support" after the plant was forced to halt production by a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines.

Elon Musk visits Tesla's sabotage-hit German factory

The Tesla CEO addressed thousands of employees on arrival at the site, accusing “eco-terrorists” of the sabotage as he defended his company’s green credentials.

With his son X AE A-XII in his arms, Musk said: “I am here to support you.”

The billionaire’s visit came a week after power lines supplying the electric carmaker’s only European plant were set on fire in an act of sabotage claimed by a far-left group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).

READ ALSO: Far-left group claims ‘sabotage’ on Tesla’s German factory

Musk had said then that the attack was “extremely dumb”, while the company said it would cost it several hundred million euros.

A week on, the lights have come back on at the site, but Andre Thierig, who heads the site, said on LinkedIn that it would “take a bit of time” before production is back to full speed.

Industry experts have warned that the reputational impact caused by the sabotage on the region could be more severe than the losses suffered by Tesla.

Tesla’s German plant started production in 2022 following an arduous two-year approval and construction process dogged by administrative and legal obstacles.

Tesla wants to expand the site by 170 hectares and boost production up to one million vehicles annually to feed Europe’s growing demand for electric cars and take on rivals who are shifting away from combustion engine vehicles.

But the plans have annoyed local residents, who voted against the project in a non-binding ballot last month.

After the vote, Tesla said it might have to rethink the plans. Environmental activists opposed to the expansion of the factory have recently also set up a camp in a wooded area near the plant.

READ ALSO: Why is Tesla’s expansion near Berlin so controversial?

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