A Russian-born German who stabbed to death an Egyptian woman in a courtroom was given Germany’s highest possible sentence for murder yesterday — 15 years’ jail with no chance of early parole.

The case enraged the Arab world, in particular Egypt, with street demonstrators and commentators blaming Germany for encouraging Islamophobia. The victim, Marwa al-Shirbini, 31, a pharmacist, has been hailed as a “veil martyr” because she stood up against the assailant, Alexander Wiens, 28. A fatwa has been pronounced on Wiens and the trial in Dresden was held under extraordinary security, with the courthouse cleared and 200 armed police encircling the room.

“We find you bear a particularly heavy burden of guilt,” said Judge Birgit Wiegand. The phrase is German legal language indicating that Wiens will not be considered for early release. Fifteen years constitutes a life sentence.

“We are very satisfied with the verdict,” said Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, the Egyptian Ambassaor to Germany. “The maximium sentence was demanded and the maximum sentence was awarded.”

The case began last year on a children’s playground in Dresden. Wiens was sitting on a child’s swing. Ms al-Shirbini, who was wearing a headscarf, asked him to move so that she could push her two-year-old boy. Wiens, a Russian of ethnic origin who had emigrated from Siberia in 2003, yelled at her, accusing her of being an “Islamicist” and a “terrorist”. Ms al-Shirbini decided to press charges and the man was duly fined. But he challenged the judgment.

By the time the case came to court in July last year, Ms al-Shirbini was three months’ pregnant. In court, the killer removed a long knife from under his jacket and stabbed her 18 times. Her husband tried to stop the attack but was stabbed 16 times.

When a policeman arrived, he ended up shooting the husband in the leg rather than the assailant. The scene was witnessed by the couple’s three-year-old son.

“He was convinced that all foreigners were taking work away from him,” Judge Wiegand said. “Above all, he hated Muslims. In his eyes they were all Islamicists. The fact that he himself came of foreign origin is something that he repressed.”

Wiens admitted the killing, in testimony read out by his lawyer, but denied that the motivation was racist. Instead, the defence team tried to establish that the killer was not responsible for his actions.

The court stated that a German court psychiatrist had already pronounced him fit to stand trial and capable of recognising his guilt.

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