Ulm court finds Eritrean man not criminally responsible for MediaMarkt stabbing

A court has ruled that a 30-year-old Eritrean man is not criminally responsible for a brutal knife attack at a MediaMarkt electronics store in Ulm, Germany. Following an expert assessment, the defendant was found to be suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, causing him to act without free will due to auditory hallucinations.

On January 14, 2026, the man stabbed a 25-year-old mobile phone salesman 15 times with a 20-centimeter kitchen knife, including strikes to the head. The victim required resuscitation and spent twelve days in a medically induced coma. Other employees were also targeted during the incident.

Witnesses described the perpetrator exhibiting erratic and celebratory behavior following the attack, including jumping joyfully and clapping bloodied hands against a traffic sign. The man was eventually stopped by police gunfire after charging at officers.

Instead of a prison sentence, the court ordered the indefinite placement of the man in a secure psychiatric facility. The presiding judge emphasized that while the acquittal means the man is not legally liable, it does not negate the fact that the crime occurred and that the individual remains dangerous.