German authorities have ruled that Abdirahman Jibril, a Somali national who fatally stabbed three women in the Bavarian city of Würzburg in 2021, will not be deported — citing public safety concerns and the risk of renewed violence.
The Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed this week that Jibril will remain indefinitely confined in a secure psychiatric hospital.
Officials concluded that deportation would present “a significant danger to the public,” noting that if returned to Somalia, he could later reenter Germany or Europe without supervision.
The decision follows a psychiatric evaluation diagnosing Jibril with paranoid schizophrenia and determining that he remains a serious threat. According to the report, there are no viable alternatives to confinement, such as international arrest warrants or monitored release.
Jibril, believed to be in his mid-30s, carried out the attack on June 25, 2021, in the heart of Würzburg’s shopping district at Barbarossaplatz, killing three women aged 25, 49, and 82.
One of the victims reportedly died shielding her 11-year-old daughter. Nine others were injured. Witnesses said the assailant shouted “Allahu Akbar” before being shot and subdued by police.
In 2022, a Würzburg regional court found Jibril not criminally responsible due to his mental illness and ordered indefinite confinement under Section 63 of the German Criminal Code — a provision allowing long-term psychiatric detention for offenders deemed incapable of guilt but still dangerous.
Since then, Jibril has been held in a psychiatric facility in Lohr am Main, roughly 30 kilometers from Würzburg. His lawyer, Hanjo Schrepfer, told German media the ruling was “legally sound and appropriate,” adding that treatment progress remains slow because Jibril “still lacks insight into his illness.”
Germany’s State Office for Refugees had explored deportation options, but prosecutors ultimately ruled against them, citing security risks. Officials emphasized that no receiving authority in Somalia could ensure his continued treatment or prevent reoffending.
Jibril entered Germany in 2015 via Italy during Europe’s mass migration influx and was granted temporary protection despite an initial asylum rejection.
The case has reignited public debate over migration policy, mental health screening, and public safety, with some politicians calling for tighter oversight of high-risk migrants diagnosed with severe psychiatric disorders.
For now, prosecutors say Jibril will remain confined indefinitely, with periodic reviews to assess his mental condition. But officials admit that a release — in Germany or abroad — remains unlikely in the foreseeable future.
