Germany is planning to deport immigrants who carry out knife attacks, in the wake of the stabbing at the Solingen music festival.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on Thursday that the government would toughen knife controls and curb benefits for some illegal migrants in response to the suspected Islamist stabbing.
Three people were killed and eight others injured at a festival in the western Dutch city of Solingen on Friday, in an attack allegedly carried out by a 26-year-old Syrian man with links to the Islamic State group.
A 26-year-old suspect, named as ‘Issa Al H’ was arrested at a home for refugees in Solingen. He targeted the Fronhof, a market square, where live bands were playing to celebrate Solingen’s 650-year history.
The knife attack has inflamed the debate over immigration in Germany and put pressure on the government to act ahead of key regional elections on Sunday.
At a press conference today, Faeser said the stabbing had ‘shocked us deeply’.
Outlining the new measures, she said: ‘We will introduce a general ban on handling switchblade knives and also clarify with examples of regulations when an individual person is banned from weapons.’
