In Through the Out Door

Listen to Today's Edition:

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed to tighten knife laws and step up deportations in the country, a few days after a deadly stabbing attack by an asylum seeker in western Germany reinvigorated the debate about migration and security, the Associated Press reported.

On Friday, a 26-year-old Syrian asylum seeker killed three people and injured eight others at a festival in the city of Solingen. The attacker turned himself in to the police a day after the incident.

German media said the suspect had his asylum application rejected and was to be deported, but that failed to occur because he disappeared for a time. Federal prosecutors believe the alleged perpetrator is a member of the Islamic State terror group.

The terrorist organization released a video Sunday that allegedly showed the suspect pledging allegiance to the extremist group.

On Monday, Scholz visited Solingen, saying he was “furious and angry” about the attack and describing it as “terrorism.” The chancellor pledged to strengthen knife laws, up the rate of deportations of rejected asylum seekers and reinforce border checks.

His statements come a few months after a knife attack by an Afghan immigrant in the city of Mannheim left one police officer dead and four others injured. At the time, Scholz announced that Germany would start deporting those identified as criminals from Afghanistan and Syria.

Analysts told Politico that the incidents had intensified the debate over migration and security in Germany.

Opposition parties have criticized the ruling coalition’s migration policy as insufficient and called for stricter measures. Friedrich Merz, the leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), called for a halt to asylum seekers from Syria and Afghanistan and an increase in deportations for those with rejected claims.

Since 2015, more than one million migrants and refugees have arrived in Germany from Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

The concern over the issue among the governing coalition is rising ahead of upcoming state elections in eastern regions where the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is gaining traction. The anti-immigration party is expected to perform strongly and could benefit from public concern over migration-related violence.

Commentators warned that if mainstream parties fail to effectively address public safety concerns, the radical right would gain more support.