An American model and paramedic was left with horrific facial wounds after being stabbed whilst defending two women from harassment on a German tram, sparking international outrage after one suspect was released within hours.
John Rudat, 21, from upstate New York, suffered a deep six-inch blade wound to his face during the attack in Dresden shortly after midnight on Sunday, requiring immediate and extensive surgery.
The heroic intervention has reignited fierce debate about Germany’s immigration policies after the victim claimed his attacker was an “illegal immigrant” who was quickly released despite being known to police.
Brutal attack on Dresden tram
The assault occurred at approximately 12:25am on Sunday aboard tram line 7 between Weixdorf and Pennrich, near the Goldener Reiter stop in Dresden’s city centre.
Rudat, who works as both a paramedic in Colonie, New York, and a part-time model, was visiting his former foreign exchange host family when he witnessed two women being harassed by a pair of men.
When the 21-year-old American stepped in to protect the women, the situation escalated violently. One suspect initially assaulted Rudat before his accomplice returned with a knife, inflicting severe injuries to the victim’s face.
Shocking photographs from the crime scene show blood splattered across the tram floor, with tissues scattered everywhere as passengers desperately tried to stem the bleeding. The images reveal the brutal nature of the attack that left Rudat fighting for his recovery.
Suspect released within hours
German police arrested a 21-year-old Syrian national shortly after the attack, approximately 700 metres from where the stabbing occurred. However, in a move that sparked widespread condemnation, prosecutors released the suspect within hours.
Senior Public Prosecutor Jürgen Schmidt told German tabloid Bild: “According to the on-call public prosecutor’s assessment, there were insufficient grounds for detention. The knife attack cannot be attributed to him.”
The second suspect, believed to have inflicted the knife wounds, remains at large. Police have not recovered the weapon used in the attack and are reviewing tram surveillance footage whilst seeking eyewitness accounts.
From his hospital bed, with his face heavily bandaged, Rudat posted a defiant video on Instagram condemning the release. “He doesn’t even belong in here,” Rudat claimed. He is an immigrant, an illegal one, a drug dealer and very popularly known here, especially by the police.”
US Embassy demands justice
The attack prompted an immediate response from the US Embassy in Berlin, which issued a strongly-worded statement condemning the assault.
We strongly condemn the brutal attack on an American citizen in Dresden. While courageously intervening to protect a fellow passenger, he was viciously attacked,” the embassy declared.
The diplomatic mission urged German authorities “to swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice and punish them to the fullest extent permitted by law,” adding: “Safety is a collective responsibility – no one is safe until all are safe.”
The intervention by American diplomatic officials, including criticism from Richard Grenell, presidential envoy for special missions, has intensified pressure on German authorities to act decisively.
Family launches fundraising appeal
Molly Sheldon, the girlfriend of Rudat’s brother, established a GoFundMe campaign that has already raised more than $45,000 (£35,000) of its $70,000 target to cover medical expenses.
“This horrible act against John leaves us devastated and seeking justice,” Sheldon wrote. “He now faces a challenging recovery; physically, emotionally, and even financially as he works to heal from this incident.”
Rudat’s brother Logan told reporters he wasn’t surprised his sibling intervened to help the women. “I would have been surprised if he hadn’t stepped in,” he said. “It’s part of his character. That’s just the way we were raised.”
The young paramedic had recently completed his training and had worked as an EMT for the past year and a half. He had previously lived in Dresden for a year when he was 17, staying with a German family and even working with the Dresden City Fire Brigade.
Germany’s knife crime epidemic
The Dresden attack comes amid growing concerns about knife crime in Germany, with statistics showing alarming increases in blade-related violence across the country.
According to official police data cited by The European Conservative, knife attacks in Germany increased by 17 per cent during the first half of 2025. The country recorded approximately 29,000 knife-related crimes in 2024 alone.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, knife crimes shot up 45 per cent over a recent 12-month period. Crimes involving knives have nearly tripled between 2020 (10,121 incidents) and 2023 (26,230).
The statistics reveal that non-German suspects are disproportionately represented in violent crime figures. In 2023, they accounted for 34.4 per cent of all offences excluding immigration violations, despite representing approximately 12.7 per cent of the population.
Immigration debate intensifies
Rudat’s Instagram video, in which he declared “If y’all didn’t think Europe had an immigration problem, especially Germany, let me drop some knowledge on you,” has gone viral despite apparent attempts at censorship on social media platforms.
The victim questioned German law enforcement’s approach: “If they could do this to the people of Germany and then just get released 12 hours later, even less at this point, where’s the law? Where’s the structure?”
His comments have fuelled ongoing debates about Germany’s immigration policies, particularly following high-profile attacks in Magdeburg and Aschaffenburg that have heightened public concerns about safety.
Far-right parties like Alternative for Germany (AfD) have capitalised on such incidents to promote anti-immigration policies, whilst researchers warn against generalising from individual cases.
Pattern of violence continues
The Dresden stabbing follows a series of violent incidents that have shaken public confidence in Germany’s ability to integrate large numbers of asylum seekers and migrants.
An internal German federal law enforcement study leaked to media revealed that asylum seekers committed approximately 7,000 sexual assaults between 2015 and 2023. The number of attacks on refugees themselves increased by 75 per cent in 2023, with 2,488 incidents recorded.
Critics argue that Germany’s justice system is failing to protect citizens, pointing to cases where known offenders are repeatedly released only to commit further crimes. Supporters of current policies warn against stigmatising entire communities based on individual criminal acts.
As Rudat continues his recovery in a German hospital, his case has become a flashpoint in broader debates about immigration, crime, and public safety across Europe. The search for the knife-wielding attacker continues whilst Germany grapples with uncomfortable questions about its migration policies.
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