The Dresden state court said in its ruling that because of the particularly brutal nature of the crime, defendant Alexander Wiens, 28, would not be eligible for early release.

During the trial, Wiens admitted stabbing Marwa al-Sherbini to death at a July 1 court hearing in Dresden.

Maria Boehmer, the German government official responsible for immigrant affairs, said the verdict was "an important signal for the people of Egypt and other parts of the Arab world."

"The message is: There is no place for xenophobia in our country," she said.

Al-Sherbini, 31, a pharmacist, was stabbed at least 16 times by Wiens in the Dresden courtroom where she was to testify against him. She had filed a complaint against him in 2008, accusing him of insulting her with racial slurs, calling her a "terrorist" and "Islamist" during an altercation.

Many German courts, including the one where the killing took place, have no security checks at their entrance. Prosecutors said the defendant used a kitchen knife with a 7-inch blade that he had brought into the courtroom in a backpack.

Her husband, a scientist conducting research in Dresden, was stabbed and suffered serious injuries when he intervened to protect her. The couple's 3-year-old son was in the courtroom and witnessed the attack.

About 1,500 demonstrators outside the courtroom ahead of the verdict carried signs with slogans like "stop the Islam hate in Germany" and "the death of Marwa is the result of Islam hunting."

Wiens also was convicted of attempted murder for his attack on al-Sherbini's husband, Elwy Okaz.

Presiding Judge Birgit Wiegand said the court was not influenced by the intense international interest in the case.

"We did not pronounce the verdict for the Muslims or any other group. We pronounced the verdict according to German justice - like we would against any other defendant," she said.

"He murdered Marwa al-Sherbini before the eyes of her child," Wiegand said.

Though Wiens' sentence was the harshest possible under the German system - most condemned to life in prison are eligible for release after 15 years - residents in the victim's hometown of Alexandria, Egypt, said it was not enough.

"She died, but he's still alive," said Badr Shorbagy, 57, a neighbor.