German courtroom killing trial starts, security tight
DRESDEN, Germany, Oct 26 (Reuters) - The trial of a man accused of killing a pregnant Egyptian woman in a German courtroom opened on Monday in a case that has incensed many in the Muslim world.
The stabbing in July of 31-year-old Marwa El-Sherbiny, pregnant and a mother of a 3-year-old, prompted accusations that Germany tolerated xenophobia and anti-Islamic views and caused protests in Egypt and Iran.
Security is tight for the trial of Sherbiny's attacker, a German of Russian origin identified by media only as "Alex W.", to guard against any outbreak of violence.
About 200 police officers secured the court in the eastern city of Dresden and the accused sat behind bulletproof glass, a police spokesman said.
"This trial is seen as having a higher than usual security risk," the spokesman said.
The killing took place in a court in Dresden where the alleged attacker was appealing a conviction for insulting Sherbiny by calling her an "Islamist", "terrorist" and "slut" when she asked him to make room for her son to play on swings in a playground.
The killer also stabbed Sherbiny's husband. German police then shot the husband in the leg, having mistaken him for the attacker.
Germany, which has the second-biggest Muslim population in western Europe after France, was criticised for taking days to condemn the murder.
Media in Islamic countries have given broad coverage to the death of Sherbiny, describing the veiled woman as a "martyr". (Writing by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
