German Coalition Unveils ‘Tough Measures’ Following Solingen Attack.
Berlin has agreed to tighten weapons rules, crack down on irregular migration and take other steps to combat the threat of Islamist terrorism in the wake of a deadly knife attack in the western city of Solingen, dpa learned from government sources on Thursday.
An existing ban on carrying knives in public spaces will be expanded, while social benefits for some asylum seekers who initially registered in other EU countries will also be cut, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced in Berlin on Thursday afternoon.
The tighter weapons laws include absolute bans on switchblades or carrying knives at public events such as festivals, sporting matches, exhibitions, markets and other gatherings.
Faeser said the measures will include bans on carrying knives on long-distance buses and trains, while the requirements for a firearms license will be increased.
Police and security officials will also receive expanded powers to counter potential Islamist threats, and the government will take more action to ban Islamist groups in the country, the minister said.
Faeser described the proposals as “far-reaching” and “tough measures.”
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann called the package a sensible and useful response to improve the security situation in Germany and to implement an even stricter pragmatic policy on migration.
A knife-wielding attacker killed three people and wounded eight others on Friday evening at a festival on the market square in Solingen, a mid-sized city in western Germany located just east of Dusseldorf.
The suspected attacker, a 26-year-old Syrian citizen identified by authorities as Issa Al H, was supposed to be deported from Germany to Bulgaria last year but had nonetheless remained in the country.
The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack, a connection that remains under investigation by German authorities.
The suspect’s continued presence in Germany despite the deportation order has fuelled an intense ongoing debate in the country over migration and asylum policy.
It has also renewed focus on EU rules that are supposed to allow countries like Germany to send migrants back to their first EU country of arrival.
Work on the package of measures began in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday announced talks with the conservative opposition CDU/CSU alliance as well as the leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states over policy responses to the attack.
A working group is expected to meet for the first time next week
Credit: German News Service.
