BERLIN: Germany has said that it was considering to deport Afghan nationals following an incident where an asylum seeker from Afghanistan killed a police officer and wounded five people in a knife attack last week.
Germany Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated that there has been an extensive review underway for several months to enable the deportation of individuals deemed serious criminals or threats to Germany’s security back to Afghanistan. “It is imperative that individuals who pose a potential risk to Germany’s safety are swiftly deported,” Faeser emphasized.
Such a move, however, would be against Germany’s own policy of not deporting repatriating individuals to countries where they face life-threatening risks. The halt on deportations to Afghanistan from Germany has been in place since the Taliban regained control in 2021. However, with a recent knife attack perpetrated by a 25-year-old Afghan in Mannheim, there is a renewed discourse on the resumption of deportations.
The assailant, identified as Sulaiman Ataee, arrived in Germany as a refugee in March 2013 at the age of 14, alongside his brother. Although initially denied asylum, Ataee remained in the country due to his age. He later attended school in Germany and married a German-Turkish woman in 2019, with whom he has two children.
The incident, which occurred during an anti-Islam rally organized by Pax Europa, has sparked heightened debate over immigration ahead of European elections and spurred calls for stronger measures to expel criminals.
Authorities have taken over the investigation, seeking to determine the motive behind the attack.
