A Syrian migrant has been arrested over a vicious knife attack that severely disfigured an American model on a tram in Germany.
John Rudat, 21, was bloodied and battered by the attack on Sunday when he said he tried to protect two women from a violent assault in Dresden.
An alleged attacker, a 21-year-old Syrian national named only as Majid A, was initially arrested on Sunday, but was released 12 hours later because police said there was not enough evidence tying him to the crime.
Majid was re-arrested on Tuesday morning after new evidence came to light, police said.
‘Now that further investigation results are available… [Majid A] is under strong suspicion of having been involved in the knife attack on the American and of having injured the victim with a dangerous object,’ police said.
‘Upon learning of the new findings, the Dresden Public Prosecutor’s Office immediately ordered the provisional arrest of the 21-year-old suspect.
‘The Dresden Public Prosecutor’s Office filed an application for an arrest warrant against the suspect with the investigating judge of the Dresden District Court, which the investigating judge issued and executed as requested.
‘The suspect is now in pretrial detention.’
John Rudat (pictured), 21, was left bloodied and battered after trying to stop the assault on two women in Germany
The young model (pictured), who is also a paramedic, sustained a critical gash in the middle of his face
Rudat shared images and video as he recovered from the shocking attack in hospital
Police are still looking for a second suspect who is alleged to have slashed Rudat.
Rudat shared details of the horrific attack – and shared his grim injuries – in a video posted online.
In it, he claimed his attacker was ‘an immigrant, an illegal one, a drug dealer and very popularly known here, especially by the police’. Authorities have not confirmed these claims.
Rudat said he stepped in to help two women when he saw they were being ‘harassed and assaulted’.
‘The problem to me wasn’t anyone’s skin color, wasn’t anyone’s race, wasn’t anybody’s anything. It was the fact that a woman was being harassed and assaulted,’ he said.
‘Everybody, no matter what their side or political party, should look at this and see it for what it was: an act of violence perpetrated on somebody that could not defend herself with an intervention from someone who was in a position to do so.’
Footage of the aftermath of the attack showed Rudat with a tissue to his face and a trail of blood splatters leading to where he was sitting on the tram.
Another clip showed a deep slash across his nose, while other passengers appeared shell-shocked after witnessing the gory ordeal.
Rudat (pictured) is expected to be able to return to the US in a week or two, according to his brother
Rudat – who was visiting Dresden to see his former foreign exchange host family – needed immediate medical attention and underwent extensive surgery in Germany.
The young model, who is also a paramedic, suffered a large gash in the middle of his face from a six-inch blade, his brother’s girlfriend Molly Sheldon wrote in a GoFundMe.
‘This horrible act against John leaves us devastated and seeking justice. He now faces a challenging recovery; physically, emotionally, and even financially as he works to heal from this incident,’ she wrote.
So far, the fundraiser launched to support Rudat and his family has raised more than $32,500.
Logan (right) said he was not surprised about his brother Rudat’s (left) heroic actions
Rudat’s brother and Sheldon’s boyfriend, Logan, told the New York Post he was not surprised that his brother put himself at risk to protect others.
‘It’s part of his character. That’s just the way we were raised,’ Logan, who is also a first responder, said.
He added that he was hopeful Rudat would be able to return to the US in a week or two.
While reflecting on the incident on his Instagram story, Rudat wrote: ‘Never turn your back on abuse’.
