Germany rejects Iranian charges over Egyptian murdered in court

Germany rejects Iranian charges over Egyptian murdered in court Berlin  - The German government strongly rejected Iranian accusations on Wednesday that it bore responsibility for the murder of an Egyptian woman earlier this month.

Earlier on Wednesday, an Iranian government spokeswoman had accused the German government of engineering the death of Marwan al- Shirbini, a 31-year-old pregnant Egyptian pharmacist who was stabbed 18 times by a German man in a Dresden courtroom.

"The murderer had entered the courtroom with a weapon without further ado, therefore we must assume that he was operating under instruction from the federal government," Sahra Sadschadi had told Fars news agency in Iran.

German government spokesman Thomas Steg said the claim was "absurd," and added, "anyone who speaks in this way disqualifies themselves."

Al-Shirbini was suing her attacker, described as a fanatical racist, after he had insulted her for wearing the Islamic hijab.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad previously demanded that the United Nations place sanctions on Germany as a result of the murder, which created an uproar in several Muslim countries. (dpa)