Scholz toughens his speech on migrants after fatal knife attack – POLITICO

The suspect in the attack, a 28-year-old Afghan, arrived in Germany at the end of 2022 and then requested asylum, according to Joachim Hermann, Bavaria’s interior minister. The suspect had previously been treated at a psychiatric facility, according to Hermann, and authorities suspect mental illness played a role in the attack.

The suspect declared his intention to leave Germany in December 2024, but remained in the country. Authorities say there is no evidence of a political motive.

Scholz called for an urgent investigation into the matter, questioning why the suspect remained in Germany. “The authorities must urgently investigate why the attacker was still there, and immediate consequences must follow,” he said.

The chancellor’s unusually strong remarks came as his electoral opponents hammered him over his government’s migration policy. Alice Weidel, chancellor candidate of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, was quick to attack the conservative Christian Social Union party, which governs in Bavaria.

“Remigration now!” » Weidel wrote in an article on X, using a far-right euphemism for a policy of mass deportations. One of the AfD’s main election messages is that crime is linked to migration and that traditional parties are incapable of guaranteeing public security.

The AfD is not alone in tapping into public frustration with migration. Friedrich Merz, a conservative chancellor candidate from the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), also pledges to reduce immigration and increase security. The conservatives lead the polls with 30 percent, while the AfD comes in second with 21 percent.