<p>BERLIN — A Syrian man went on trial Monday accused of killing a German man and seriously injuring another in an attack last year that prosecutors said was motivated by Islamic extremist ideology.</p>
<p>The trial of Abdullah A.H.H., whose full name wasn’t released due to German privacy laws, began in the eastern city of Dresden, where the attack took place on Oct. 4.</p>
<p>Federal prosecutors allege that the defendant used a kitchen knife to attack the two men, aged 55 and 53, because he believed they were a gay couple and considered this to be a “grave sin.” He was arrested almost three weeks after the crime and has been in custody since then.</p>
<p>The 21-year-old defendant is charged with murder, attempted murder and causing serious bodily harm.</p>
<p>The defendant had been released from prison a month before the attack after serving a sentence for promoting the extremist Islamic State group and attacking a prison guard.</p>
<p>Prosecutors alleged that the defendant, who came to Germany as a refugee in 2015, had planned to carry out a further attack, details of which weren’t immediately known.</p>
