TERRORISMSolingen Knife Attack Prompts Tough Security Measures
The German government is taking action in response to the fatal knife attack in Solingen, banning knives in public places and putting pressure on rejected asylum seekers and criminal offenders.
On August 23, an alleged follower of the so-called “Islamic State” extremist group stabbed three people to death at a city festival in Solingen, a city east of Düsseldorf in North Rhine-Westphalia. The attack reignited an ongoing debate on illegal immigration and weapons legislation.
Now the German government is taking action: It is planning stricter gun laws, faster deportations of rejected asylum seekers who have committed crimes and cutting social benefits.
“Knives have no place at public festivals, sporting events or other similar public events. That’s why we’re introducing a ban on knives,” said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. At train stations, which are often hotspots for crime, the police will also soon be able to prevent people from carrying knives. And a general ban is planned for long-distance trains.
The Interior Minister wants to give security authorities additional powers and allow people to be searched for unauthorized possession of weapons even without grounds for suspicion.
Faeser also plans to establish higher hurdles for obtaining a gun license. Police and customs authorities will screen anyone who submits an application.
The Internet is also to be monitored more closely. With the help of facial recognition programs, the German government wants to empower security authorities to scour the Internet. Social media will be particularly in focus. “This will make it possible to identify suspects or wanted persons more quickly,” Faeser said.
However, the head of the police union, Jochen Kopelke, described the raft of measures as falling short of expectations, particularly concerning weapons legislation.
Cracking Down on Rejected Asylum Seekers
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann explained the consequences for refugees and asylum seekers: “Anyone who attacks or threatens people with a knife in Germany must be deported quickly. And that is why we will establish relevant regulations for deportations. And this will also apply to young people.”
In future, asylum seekers who first applied for asylum in another European Union (EU) country are to be excluded from social benefits in Germany. The alleged Solingen attacker, Issa Al H., would have been such a case. He had applied for asylum in Bulgaria before traveling on to Germany. But when authorities went to his refugee accommodation to put him on a plane back to Bulgaria, he could not be found.
Buschmann and Faeser also reaffirmed their intention to deport serious criminals and suspected terrorists to Syria and Afghanistan. Germany has no diplomatic relations with either country, which poses a challenge.
