A court in Dresden, Germany, has sentenced two Syrian migrants over a knife attack on American citizen John Rudat during an incident on a tram on August 24, 2025. According to the court, Majd A. (22) assaulted Rudat after he intervened when the two men were harassing Majd A.'s 18-year-old German girlfriend. Ismail Alhaj H. (21) then slashed Rudat across the face with a box cutter, leaving him with permanent facial injuries. Ismail Alhaj H. received a three-year youth prison sentence, while Majd A. was given one year and eight months suspended on probation, with both sentenced under Germany's youth criminal law. The two defendants had prior convictions including assaults on police officers, drug trafficking, assault with a switchblade, beer-bottle attacks, theft, and assaulting a municipal employee, yet both had retained subsidiary protection status in Germany at the time of the attack. Their protection status has since been revoked, though it remains unclear whether they will be deported. Reacting to the verdict, Rudat said he was "deeply shocked", arguing the sentences would further undermine public confidence in Germany's justice system. Despite his injuries, he said he would intervene again because he believed the young woman was in serious danger and unable to protect herself.