An American tourist was brutally stabbed on a tram in Dresden, Germany, after stepping in to protect two women from being assaulted, local media reported.
The victim, identified as 21-year-old John Rudat from upstate New York, suffered severe facial injuries in the early Sunday attack. Rudat, a part-time model and newly qualified paramedic, was staying with his former foreign exchange host family in the city at the time.
According to German outlet Bild, the incident involved a known local thug and drug dealer.
German police arrested a 21-year-old Syrian national on suspicion of assaulting Rudat, but prosecutors later released him, citing insufficient evidence of his role in the stabbing. “The knife attack cannot be attributed to him,” Senior Public Prosecutor Jürgen Schmidt was quoted as saying, the New York Post reported.
Rudat later took to Instagram to slam the attackers and criticized Europe’s immigration policies. “If Germans are held to law and structure, but these people can just come in, swing knives, hurt and terrorize citizens, then what do we do?” he asked in a video message.
“It is 11:57 a.m. right now. In three minutes, that man that assaulted that young woman will be released from custody. He’ll be released from custody because he’s not a citizen of Germany, he’s not a citizen of the EU for that matter,” Rudat said.
The US Embassy in Berlin condemned the attack, calling Rudat’s intervention “courageous” and urging German authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. “Safety is a collective responsibility—no one is safe until all are safe,” the embassy said in a post on X.
The victim, identified as 21-year-old John Rudat from upstate New York, suffered severe facial injuries in the early Sunday attack. Rudat, a part-time model and newly qualified paramedic, was staying with his former foreign exchange host family in the city at the time.
According to German outlet Bild, the incident involved a known local thug and drug dealer.
German police arrested a 21-year-old Syrian national on suspicion of assaulting Rudat, but prosecutors later released him, citing insufficient evidence of his role in the stabbing. “The knife attack cannot be attributed to him,” Senior Public Prosecutor Jürgen Schmidt was quoted as saying, the New York Post reported.
Rudat later took to Instagram to slam the attackers and criticized Europe’s immigration policies. “If Germans are held to law and structure, but these people can just come in, swing knives, hurt and terrorize citizens, then what do we do?” he asked in a video message.
“It is 11:57 a.m. right now. In three minutes, that man that assaulted that young woman will be released from custody. He’ll be released from custody because he’s not a citizen of Germany, he’s not a citizen of the EU for that matter,” Rudat said.
The US Embassy in Berlin condemned the attack, calling Rudat’s intervention “courageous” and urging German authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice. “Safety is a collective responsibility—no one is safe until all are safe,” the embassy said in a post on X.
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