The immigrant unexpectedly felt a surge of Islamism.
A trial has begun in Düsseldorf for an 18-year-old Albanian from Kosovo, whom the prosecution considers a radicalized supporter of the Islamic State. The trial is taking place in the regional court and is currently in the evidence examination phase, including witness testimonies and investigation materials.
According to the prosecution, in the summer and autumn of 2025, the then 17-year-old Erzhon S. committed a series of knife attacks in Essen. First, he attacked his teacher—a 45-year-old instructor at a vocational college—and inflicted serious injuries on her. According to media reports citing police records, he did this "out of personal revenge and extremist motives."
He then attacked a school guard—first with pepper spray, then with a knife, seriously injuring him. According to the prosecution materials, Erzhon only failed to kill the guard because he resisted. The jihadist also had personal animosity towards the guard.
After this incident, the young jihadist went to a synagogue and looked for Jews among passersby. Failing to find the "main enemies of Islam," he stabbed a homeless man, causing him serious injuries. Eventually, despairing of finding a Jew, the youth, influenced by the "Islamic State," lunged at police officers with a knife to provoke his own death, but, as reported by Welt, was shot in the face.
The investigation claims that the accused was under the influence of "Islamic State" propaganda and viewed the idea of attacking Jews as an ideologically motivated goal. Case materials state that he visited the Old Synagogue in Essen twice, trying to find potential victims, but found no one there.
According to the prosecution, his actions constituted a targeted attempt to commit murder (he is charged with three incidents) "on the grounds of a radical Islamist worldview." All victims of his attacks survived but sustained serious injuries.
