International
German doctor sentenced to life in prison for murdering 15 patients
German doctor sentenced to life in prison for murdering 15 patients
A German palliative care doctor has been sentenced to life imprisonment after a court in Berlin found him guilty of murdering 15 patients over a three-year period, in a case prosecutors say could become one of the largest serial murder investigations involving a medical professional in Germany.
The 41-year-old physician, identified only as Johannes M. under Germany’s privacy laws, was convicted on Wednesday of killing 12 women and three men between September 2021 and July 2024 while working for a home-based palliative care service in the German capital.
The Berlin Regional Court heard that the victims, aged between 25 and 94, were all seriously ill but were not considered to be at imminent risk of death. Most of them were receiving palliative care in their homes when the killings occurred.
According to prosecutors, Johannes M. deliberately administered a lethal combination of an anaesthetic and a muscle relaxant without the knowledge or consent of the patients. The drugs caused respiratory paralysis, leading to their deaths within minutes.
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Prosecutors argued that the doctor acted out of what they described as a “lust for murder” rather than compassion or any legitimate medical purpose. They also accused him of setting fire to several victims’ homes in an attempt to destroy evidence and conceal the crimes.
Investigators linked at least five suspected arson incidents to the murders, saying the fires were intended to make the deaths appear accidental.
One of the most shocking incidents presented during the trial occurred in July 2024, shortly before the doctor’s arrest. Prosecutors alleged that Johannes M. killed two patients on the same day.
According to the prosecution, he first fatally injected a 75-year-old man during a home visit in central Berlin before travelling to another district, where he allegedly killed a 76-year-old woman. Investigators said he later attempted to set fire to the woman’s apartment, but the blaze failed to destroy crucial evidence.
For much of the year-long trial, the doctor declined to testify. However, during proceedings last month, he admitted responsibility for killing 12 of the victims, telling the court that he believed he was relieving them of pain and suffering.
“Throughout it all, I thought this was the best thing for everyone,” he said, before expressing remorse and apologising to the families of the victims.
Despite the admission, prosecutors maintained that the killings were neither acts of mercy nor medically justified, insisting the victims had not consented to ending their lives and that many still had plans for the future.
In delivering its judgment, the Berlin Regional Court imposed Germany’s maximum sentence for murder and made a finding of “particularly severe guilt,” a legal classification that makes early release after the standard 15-year period highly unlikely.
The court also ordered preventive detention, allowing authorities to continue holding the doctor after completion of his prison sentence if he is still considered a danger to society. In addition, he was permanently banned from practising medicine.
Authorities believe the 15 confirmed murders may represent only a fraction of the doctor’s alleged crimes.
Investigators initially opened the case after becoming suspicious about four patient deaths before widening the inquiry. A special investigative team has since reviewed 395 patient files, exhumed several bodies and identified dozens of additional suspicious cases.
Prosecutors are now investigating 76 more deaths linked to the doctor, raising the possibility of further criminal charges if sufficient evidence is established.
If additional allegations are proven, the case could become one of the most extensive serial murder investigations in Germany’s modern history.
The trial featured emotional testimony from relatives of several victims, many of whom rejected the doctor’s claim that he was acting out of compassion.
The mother of the youngest victim, a 25-year-old woman, tearfully told the court that her daughter “never said she didn’t want to live anymore.”
Similarly, the son of a 72-year-old woman said his mother had been planning a holiday with her sister before her death, insisting she had every intention of continuing her life.
Legal experts say the verdict has renewed debate in Germany over patient safety, oversight of palliative care services and the safeguards required to protect vulnerable patients receiving treatment in their homes.
As investigations continue, prosecutors say Johannes M. has indicated a willingness to cooperate in future proceedings, while authorities remain focused on determining whether additional patients fell victim to the same pattern of crimes.
German doctor sentenced to life in prison for murdering 15 patients
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International
Trump Links French Protests To Islam âTaking Overâ France
Trump Links French Protests To Islam âTaking Overâ France
US President Donald Trump has linked the ongoing student protests in France to what he described as âout of controlâ mass migration and an alleged attempt by Islam to take over the country.
Trump made the claim Tuesday in a post on his Truth Social platform, rejecting the view that the protests are primarily about education and school conditions.
The protests have spread across France since late September, with students, teachers and parents demanding better-funded schools, more teachers, improved infrastructure and action over overcrowded classrooms.
More than 250,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country on Tuesday, according to French authorities, while organisers put the turnout at about 450,000.
Trump wrote that the unrest was ânothing less than out of control mass migrationâ and claimed: âThis isn’t about schools, this is about Islam wanting to take over a once great Country!â
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However, there has been no established link between the protests and religious or identity-based demands. The grievances publicly cited by student groups have centred on teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating school buildings and inadequate resources.
The demonstrations have nevertheless escalated in some areas, with clashes between protesters and police reported in cities including Paris, Strasbourg, Rennes and Toulouse.
French authorities said hundreds of people were arrested Tuesday, while hundreds of students, school staff and police officers have reportedly been injured during the unrest.
The protests have also become part of a wider debate over Franceâs public finances, government spending and political direction ahead of the country’s next presidential election.
Trumpâs comments add an international political dimension to the crisis, as the US president continues to make migration in Europe a major focus of his political messaging.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France was working to present its own account of the unrest rather than allowing foreign governments and political actors to define the narrative around the protests.
For now, the central demands of the protest movement remain focused on education, even as the unrest has become increasingly entangled with broader political disputes over immigration, public spending and Franceâs future.
Trump Links French Protests To Islam âTaking Overâ France
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International
Kemi Badenoch: I Donât Want Migrants Turning UK Into Nation Of âLittle Ghettosâ
Kemi Badenoch: I Donât Want Migrants Turning UK Into Nation Of âLittle Ghettosâ
UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has warned against the emergence of what she described as âlittle ghettosâ of separatist migrant communities in Britain, arguing that newcomers must integrate and respect the countryâs culture and values.
Badenoch made the remarks while opening the Conservative Partyâs annual conference in Birmingham, where she set out her vision for rebuilding the party and Britain.
Speaking about immigration and integration, the Conservative leader said she wanted Britain to remain a âhigh-trustâ society in which people coming into the country accept the social expectations and responsibilities that come with living there.
âI donât want lots of little ghettos of separatist communities where they are recreating the place that they came from. That will ruin the United Kingdom,â Badenoch said.
She added that Britain was ânot a dormitoryâ or âa hotelâ and argued that migrants who come to the country, including those who come primarily to work, should respect British culture and values.
Badenoch stressed that she was not advocating race-based citizenship, saying Britain had never operated such a system. However, she argued that British culture, norms and expectations remained important to maintaining social cohesion.
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âIt is not just about the values and the principles,â she said, arguing that the way people conduct themselves and the expectations they share also form part of British culture.
The remarks form part of Badenochâs broader attempt to establish a tougher Conservative Party position on immigration, integration and national identity as the party seeks to regain political ground.
She has also acknowledged failures by previous Conservative governments to deliver promised reductions in immigration. In her newly published policy document, The Right Way, she argues that the party needs clearer principles and a more consistent approach to government.
The Conservatives are also proposing tougher conditions for migrants seeking permanent settlement in the UK, including changes to the rules governing indefinite leave to remain.
Badenochâs comments have drawn attention because of the sensitivity surrounding immigration and multiculturalism in Britain, with critics arguing that language about migrant communities risks stigmatising minority groups.
Her supporters, however, say the emphasis on integration rather than race is intended to reinforce a shared national identity and social cohesion.
The debate comes as immigration remains a major political issue in the UK, with the Conservatives facing pressure from Reform UK over migration while the Labour government continues to face questions over legal and irregular immigration.
Badenoch, who became Conservative leader in November 2024, used the conference to present her party as a political alternative focused on economic growth, stronger national security, reduced bureaucracy and stricter immigration policies.
Her comments on migrant communities are expected to remain a significant part of the Conservativesâ political message as the party seeks to redefine its approach to immigration, integration and British identity.
Kemi Badenoch: I Donât Want Migrants Turning UK Into Nation Of âLittle Ghettosâ
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International
Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution For Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan
Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution For Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan
President Donald Trump has approved the execution by U.S. Army firing squad of former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who was sentenced to death for the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, that left 13 people dead and 32 others wounded.
The Pentagon announced the decision on Monday, saying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had recommended the firing-squad execution and Trump approved it.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Secretary of the Army would determine the date and location of the execution.
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, opened fire at a medical facility at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009, shortly before he was due to deploy to Afghanistan.
The attack killed 12 active-duty soldiers and one retired serviceman, while 32 others were wounded. Hasan was shot and seriously injured by a responding civilian police officer and has been partially paralysed since the attack.
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A military jury convicted Hasan in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder and sentenced him to death.
During his court-martial, Hasan represented himself and did not call witnesses in his defence. He acknowledged that he carried out the shooting and argued that his actions were intended to protect Muslims whom he believed were being targeted by U.S. military operations.
Hasan has remained on military death row at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, while pursuing legal challenges to his conviction and sentence.
Trump’s approval does not mean the execution will take place immediately. Further legal and administrative procedures remain, and Hasan could seek relief through the federal courts, potentially delaying the execution.
If carried out, Hasan’s execution would be an extraordinary event in the history of the U.S. military justice system.
The U.S. military has not carried out an execution since 1961, when Army Private John Bennett was hanged. The last known U.S. military execution by firing squad took place in 1945.
The decision also comes amid renewed debate in the United States over methods of execution. The Trump administration has expanded the available methods for carrying out federal executions, while recent difficulties surrounding lethal injection have intensified scrutiny of capital punishment.
Hasan’s case has remained one of the most prominent military death-penalty cases in the United States since the Fort Hood attack nearly 17 years ago.
The Army is now expected to determine when and where the execution will take place, subject to the remaining legal process.
Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution For Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan
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