Germany expelling illegal immigrants after mass stabbing

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday promised that the government would remove illegal immigrants from the country following a stabbing attack over the weekend in Solingen, a city north of Cologne in Eastern Germany. An attacker killed three people and injured eight more by stabbing at their necks and upper body, according to regional authorities.

Police on Saturday night arrested a 26-year-old man who turned himself in and claimed responsibility for the attack. The suspect was later identified as a Syrian called Assa Al H. — his full name was not released due to German privacy laws. According to a translated arrest warrant, the suspect shared the ideology of Islamic State group terrorists. As a result of his radical Islamist beliefs, he decided to kill as many non-believers as possible, according to the warrant. The terrorist Islamic State group reportedly also claimed responsibility.

Why the crackdown on immigration? Chancellor Scholz called the stabbing spree a terrorist attack and promised to do what it took to make sure it didn’t happen again. Islamic extremists endangered the coexistence of Jews, Christians, and peaceful Muslims, Scholz said in a translated social media statement. He promised his government would not stop taking action against Islamic extremists. The government would specifically remove dangerous and violent illegal immigrants who hailed from Syria or Afghanistan, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said Monday.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about Congressional Republicans accusing the Biden administration of allowing dozens of potential terrorists to cross the southern border into the United States.