NOS News•Sunday, 13:14•Adjusted Sunday, 16:34
The suspected perpetrator of the knife attack in Solingen, Germany, is expected to be transferred to Bulgaria in early 2023, according to the weekly magazine The world on his website. Three people were killed in the attack on Friday evening.
Issa al H., 26, from Syria, came to Germany in December 2022 and applied for asylum there. Die Welt says it learned from official sources that his asylum application had been rejected early last year and that the man, who was staying in Paderborn at the time, was not allowed to stay in Germany.
He was to be transferred to Bulgaria, because he had travelled from that country to Germany. According to the Dublin rules, the country where an asylum seeker first enters the EU is responsible for the asylum procedure.
ReutersThe suspect is being transferred to Karlsruhe, where he will be brought before the court
According to Die Welt, a date had already been set for the handover, but Al H. went into hiding before it could take place. A few months later, the Syrian resurfaced. For unknown reasons, the handover was “temporarily cancelled” at that time and the man was placed in a refugee shelter in Solingen by the authorities.
The weekly Der Spiegel reported earlier that Al H. had been granted temporary residence status a year after his arrival in Germany, so at the end of 2023. Refugees from Syria often receive these because of the civil war in the country. According to Der Spiegel, Issa al H. is a Sunni Muslim and was not known to the German security services as a Muslim extremist.
The media reports have not been confirmed by the German authorities.
Correspondent Charlotte Waaijers:
“The fact that the suspect who has now been arrested is a Syrian man who was living in a refugee shelter and reportedly had to be handed over further fuels the debate in Germany about migration. The attack has also become part of the campaign for state elections next week, where the far-right AfD is heading for victory.
Many Germans already wanted tougher measures, and support for the AfD has grown partly due to dissatisfaction with the government’s approach. Under this pressure, Chancellor Scholz has already promised to expel migrants who are not allowed to stay more quickly. In addition, serious criminals and people who pose a terrorist threat should also be expelled to countries that are currently not considered safe, such as Syria and Afghanistan.
Al H. reported himself to a police patrol last night around 23:00. Der Spiegel reported that his clothes were stained with blood and the police reported that he immediately said he was responsible for the attack. According to the newspaper Bild, the suspect had hidden in a backyard for several hours after the attack.
The suspect told police he had been arrested before, but he did not provide details.
News site Focus has more information about the suspect’s escape route. After the attack, he initially ran to the refugee shelter in the center of Solingen. He did not stay there long. To avoid the police, he fled. Detectives found the sheath of the knife he used to commit the attack in his room. During his escape, he had thrown the bloody knife in a backpack in a garbage can three minutes’ walk from the scene of the attack.
The bloody jacket that Al H. had taken off while fleeing was also found. According to the newspaper Bild, he had forgotten to take his wallet and papers out of his jacket, which gave the police a quick picture of who the suspect was.
The suspect was taken to Karlsruhe by helicopter. Because the attack is considered a terrorist act, the investigation has been taken over by the federal prosecutor’s office. Among other things, it will investigate Al H.’s possible membership of IS. Today he must appear before the judge, who will rule on his pre-trial detention.
Correspondent Charlotte Waaijers:
“The government is now coming under fierce criticism, and opposition parties are also attacking each other. The AfD is linking the attack to migration in general, and is criticising the Christian Democratic CDU for allowing a large influx of migrants in previous governments led by Chancellor Merkel. In polls for the elections in Saxony next week, the AfD and CDU are neck and neck for first place.
CDU chairman Merz, in turn, points to the government that is allegedly doing too little. He not only demands deportations to Syria and Afghanistan, but calls for the immediate closure of the German borders to all Syrians and Afghans.
And the governing parties SPD and Greens are reiterating their call for knife-free zones and the ban on knives in view of the increasing number of knife attacks in Germany. Interior Minister Faeser announced a new bill this month, which should come soon.”
An action group is calling for an anti-fascist demonstration at the reception center on X this afternoon, because “AfD youth and other Nazi groups” are also supposed to gather there. They say they want to mourn the victims, “and at the same time we are standing in the way of the Nazis.”
Invasion
Earlier on Saturday, the police arrested two other people. According to German media, a 36-year-old Syrian was arrested during a raid on a refugee shelter on Saturday evening. He is said to know Al H. well and was very cooperative, according to the police.
The other detainee was a 15-year-old boy from Kyrgyzstan. A visitor reportedly overheard a conversation between Al H. and the 15-year-old. The Syrian reportedly announced his series of murders with the words: “Today I’m going to stab everyone.”
Images of the raid on the asylum center:
German police raid Solingen asylum center
The knife attack took place during a celebration of Solingen’s 650th anniversary. The perpetrator suddenly stabbed around him on a square in the city centre. He allegedly stabbed his victims in the neck. According to a witness, he shouted “Allahu akbar” (God is great), writes Der Spiegel.
The victims were two men aged 67 and 56 and a woman aged 56. Eight people were injured, four of them in critical condition.
The terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement by IS-affiliated Amaq News, the terror group said the attack was carried out by an “IS soldier in revenge for Muslims in the Palestinian territories and elsewhere.” Police in Düsseldorf also received a letter from IS claiming responsibility for the attack. Police are investigating the origin of the letter.
IS provides no evidence for the claim. It is also unclear how close the attacker was to the terrorist group and whether there was direct contact, for example.
