Man in Germany goes on trial for Sherbini murder

A 29-year-old ethnic Russian male accused of stabbing Marwa el-Sherbini to death in a courthouse in July 2009 is on trial in Germany for her murder, CNN reported on Monday. The defendant, Alex W., reportedly stabbed el-Sherbini 18 times before attacking two other people, including el-Sherbini’s husband, during a defamation hearing. El-Sherbini, an Egyptian, was three months pregnant.

Prosecution lawyer Frank Heinrich said Alex W. stabbed el-Sherbini “out of pure hatred against non-Europeans and Muslims”, AFP reported.

“He wanted to annihilate them,” he said.

The ordeal for el-Sherbini began in August 2008, when the defendant called her a “terrorist” and an “Islamist” at a public playground. El-Sherbini wore a headscarf, and has since become a martyr in communities in Iran and Egypt.