A 14-year-old girl died in agony when she was stabbed in the stomach by an asylum seeker after she left her home to go to school.
Ece Sarigul and her twin brother left their home in Illerkirchberg – in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany – on Monday morning, 5th December.
Her brother caught the school bus while Ece stayed behind to wait for her best friend Nerea M., 13, who lives two doors down.
Tragically, neither girl made it to school.
Out of nowhere, a 27-year-old asylum seeker from Eritrea had allegedly stabbed the pair with a knife.
He was arrested with the alleged murder weapon in a neighbouring building used as accommodation for asylum seekers.
Two other asylum seekers from Eritrea found with him at the time of his arrest were also seized.
The prime suspect was injured and was taken to hospital under police guard.
The girls were also taken to hospital, where Ece – who had been stabbed in the stomach and revived at the scene – passed away.
Nerea’s injuries are said to be serious but not life-threatening.
Ece’s parents, Mesut and Nuray, are Kurds from Turkey and belong to the Alevi Islamic community.
Turkish ambassador Ahmet Basar Sen visited the crime scene on Tuesday afternoon and told those present: “It hurts tremendously. It’s hard to believe that a 14-year-old girl would be murdered by a total stranger.”
Her funeral prayer will be held in Ulm this afternoon (Wednesday, 7th December), after which she will be buried in Illerkirchberg.
The public prosecutor and the police are investigating the motive for the attack and if the suspect and the girls – contrary to Sen’s statement – knew each other.
Alevis widely report persecution by Sunni Muslims, who, according to estimates, comprise between 36 and 52 per cent of the population of Eritrea.
However, it is not clear if the suspect is a Sunni Muslim or if he was even aware Ece was an Alevi.
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Story By: William McGee, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Central European News
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