Verdicts after fatal knife attack at Berlin's Humboldt Forum

They suddenly attacked a much smaller group at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin: around a year after the crime in which a 20-year-old Syrian was killed, the regional court convicted six men and one woman. A now 17-year-old who stabbed the 20-year-old received a youth sentence of six years for manslaughter and involvement in a fight. “It was acted with particular ruthlessness, without cause, with great superiority,” said presiding judge Wulf Burchards.

Three other defendants, aged 24, 20 and 18, were found guilty of, among other things, bodily harm resulting in death. Two of these defendants received juvenile sentences of three years and nine months and four and a half years respectively. The 24-year-old received a total sentence of six years in prison.

Twelve people attacked a group of three men - "the question of why remains unanswered," said the judge. There were no previous relationships between the groups; it could only have been an insignificant reason. The fatal use of the knife was an act of excess.

The three other defendants took part in the fight, but the death was not attributable to them, the verdict continued. A 19-year-old received a suspended sentence, a 17-year-old was warned and had to do 80 hours of recreational work, and another 17-year-old was given instructions. The defendants - six men from Afghanistan and one Iraqi national - essentially confessed in the trial. The court said they had shown remorse. During the crime they were partly disinhibited by alcohol and drugs.

The 20-year-old Syrian and his companions, then 21 and 23 years old, were sitting on chairs on the promenade below the Humboldt Forum on the evening of September 12, 2025, when the group of defendants approached. After video recordings of the event, three of them approached the sitting men and started an argument; the other defendants immediately ran over and took part.

According to the verdict, the now 24-year-old was carrying a knife and an accomplice was carrying a telescopic baton. When the 24-year-old lost the knife, the 17-year-old picked it up. The youngest defendant, then 16 years old, took it and used it. There were three stabs, one of them fatal. The 20-year-old Syrian died a short time later in a hospital.

The defendants and other suspects were arrested in December and taken into custody. The arrest warrants against three of the defendants have now been revoked. With the guilty verdicts, the court essentially followed the prosecutor's requests. The defense lawyers had pleaded for significantly lower penalties. The verdict is not yet final.

The Humboldt Forum, a replica of the old castle with museum rooms, is located in the historic center of Berlin near Museum Island.