The Afghan knifeman who went on a murderous rampage at an anti-Islam rally in Germany last week is a father-of-two who practiced Taekwondo and had been ‘well integrated’, sources told German media.
Sulaiman Ataee, 25, launched a frenzied attack in Mannheim city centre on Friday, stabbing well-known Islam critic Michael Stuerzenberger, a police officer and several bystanders in a horrific incident which was live streamed on YouTube.
But as far as his friends, neighbours and even the authorities were concerned, Ataee was a perfectly helpful, polite and agreeable citizen who had worked hard to develop fluency in German.
He settled down with a wife, had obtained a residency permit that lasted until 2026 – and according to several sources had displayed no religious zeal that would mark him out as a concern.
Roughly a year ago, residents living in Ataee’s apartment complex said they noticed a change – he became noticeably colder and less communicative.
But they could never have imagined that he would have authored such a bloodthirsty attack, which left six people with stab wounds – and police officer Rouven L. in the morgue.
Born in Herat, Afghanistan, Ataee arrived in Germany as an unaccompanied minor aged just 14 alongside his brother.
He moved into a youth residential group in the state of Hesse, and although his application for asylum was rejected, his tender age prevented authorities from deporting him – so he set about integrating himself into German society.
The teenager’s grasp of the German language improved quickly and following a series of tests was awarded a ‘B2’ level certificate, meaning he could ‘communicate orally spontaneously and fluently, and understand complex texts’.
He also reportedly enjoyed doing Taekwondo in his free time, and pictures from a tournament with his local club in 2014 showed him with a medal after he earned third place while wearing a red belt.
By age 19, he had found love.
He met a German woman and the pair quickly moved in together before having two kids – now aged three and almost one – a feat which saw Ataee awarded with a residence permit.
The family lived together in a flat in Heppenheim – just a 25-minute drive from the market square where Ataee stabbed six people – where he was described as a positive member of the community by those who knew him.
But neighbours of the Afghan knifeman claimed he had begun to show signs he was being ‘radicalised’ over the last year.
‘He used to be normal,’ 31-year-old neighbour Abdul told .
‘I have seen him sometimes with his wife and his children, but I don’t know that much about him.’
Another neighbour told Bild: ‘He was inconspicuous, we greeted each other usually.
‘But recently, about a year ago, I noticed that he had changed. He was helpful before, then suddenly he turned cold. He suddenly became more reserved – and also more aggressive.’
Ataee’s appearance also changed in recent years. He was previously clean shaven but grew out a large beard.
It was later revealed that Ataee – who was reportedly unemployed and living off benefits according to Bild – allegedly shared ISIS propaganda on YouTube prior to his attack.
German newspaper Welt connected the knifeman to a now defunct YouTube account that had posted videos of the late radical preacher Ahmad Zahir Aslamiyar.
It is unclear whether German authorities knew about the videos prior to the attack, but Justice Minister Marco Buschmann wrote on the social media platform X late Monday that ‘there are now clear indications of an Islamist motive’.
Federal prosecutors, who are responsible for terrorism and national security cases, are taking over the investigation from police in Mannheim.
has contacted both German State Security as well as the Office for the Protection of the Constitution for comment.
Ataee is said to have lived on an estate in Heppenheim in a flat on the ninth floor of a 14-storey apartment block.
He rented his two-bedroom flat, shared with his wife and children, for roughly 800 euros a month. The estate is complete with a pair of playgrounds, several shops and restaurants in easy walking distance.
One local man whose parents live in the same high-rise as the knifeman told the killer was friendly, but largely kept himself to himself – as did his wife.
Another neighbour told German outlet Focus: ‘(His wife) was colder, not as friendly as him.
‘I just feel sorry for his wife and kids. They have to suffer now because of what that man did,’ a woman, who lives on the same floor as the killer, said.
Meanwhile, mourners have turned out in droves to pay respects to the slain police officer and stabbing victims.
‘It is definitely scary, this is our way home. We walk past [the market square] daily and will think about what happened here and that it could happen again any day,’ 22-year-old student Emilia, who came to the scene to put down a bouquet, told .
But mourners were also met by anti-immigration campaigners and activists who claim the stabbing would not have happened if Ataee was made to ‘remigrate’ back to Afghanistan.
Members of the right-wing AfD and Junge Freiheit parties held a protest on Mannheim’s market square on Sunday afternoon, as pro-peace activists held a counter protest.
But chaos broke out when far-left Antifa activists started their chants as they pushed forward, which caused dozens of armed police officers to run at the group to disperse them with pepper spray.
At least one man was arrested and led to one of the many police vans at the scene in handcuffs.
The shocking spree unfolded on Friday morning in Mannheim city centre where anti-Islam campaigner Michael Stuerzenberger was speaking at an event of the Citizens’ Movement Pax Europa (BPE) – a group that advocates against the ‘Islamisation’ of Europe.
Chaos broke out at an when Ataee tackled Stuerzenberger to the ground and violently swung a large blade at him, prompting terrified screams from onlookers.
Other BPE members sprinted over and tried to drag the knifeman away, but the would-be killer wriggled free and dove on top of the bloodied victim to plunge the weapon in for a second time.
Police descended on the scene almost immediately – but not before Ataee had left two people lying on the floor, blood pooling on the cobblestones.
Officer Rouven L. then made a fatal mistake. Amid the confusion, he waded in and jumped on one of the victims, seemingly having mistaken him for the aggressor.
This misread of the situation gave the bloodthirsty attacker a chance to circle behind and ram his blade into the policeman’s neck.
His colleagues were heard screaming ‘throw the knife away!’ – but with the knifeman not responding to any orders the officers opened fire from near point blank range and sent him crashing to the ground.
The attacker and his victims were rushed to hospital, while the shocking incident was quickly labelled a terror attack by the BPE.