Family members of Rahma Ayat say the suspect had previously harassed her repeatedly because of her hijab, Arab origin
BERLIN — In a blatant case of Islamophobia in Europe, a 26-year-old Algerian woman was stabbed to death in Hannover, Germany on July 4. She had previously told her family she was facing racist insults and harassment from her neighbour, local media reported on Monday.
Rahma Ayat was attacked on July 4 in the stairwell of her apartment building in Arnum, south of Hanover, according to police reports. The autopsy revealed that Ayat died from multiple stab wounds, one of which pierced her heart.
Police arrested her neighbor, a 31-year-old German citizen, as the main suspect.
The victim’s mother told Al-Araby television that her daughter had previously reported being repeatedly harassed and insulted by the suspect “because of her hijab and Arab origin.”
Residents reported that the suspect had previously attempted to gain access to Ayat’s apartment.
Ayat had lived in Germany for two years and worked as a nursing trainee at a Hannover hospital. She was preparing to begin formal nursing education.
Shocked by her death, her colleagues and friends held a vigil in the city center last week to honor her memory and demand justice.
In a statement, the Algerian Embassy in Berlin confirmed on Thursday, July 10, that a 31-year-old German neighbour, arrested shortly after the incident, remains in custody. While investigations continue, a motive has not been officially established and no charges have yet been filed.
The embassy said that the Consulate General in Frankfurt is in close contact with authorities in Hanover. It offered condolences to Ayat’s family and confirmed that arrangements are under way to repatriate her body to Algeria for burial.
