Legal judgment or decision making - Mannheim's crime scene is under investigation by the Federal Prosecutor's Office.
Following a violent knife attack in Mannheim that resulted in death, the Federal Prosecutor's Office suspects religious motivation behind the incident. This high-profile investigation has been taken over by the German prosecution authority, as a spokeswoman revealed on Monday in Karlsruhe. According to her, the unique nature of the case justifies this move. She believes the attacker aimed to deprive those who criticize Islam of their right to freely express their opinions. This information was previously reported by the "Spiegel".
Justice Minister Marco Buschmann of the FDP expressed shock at the act of violence. He acknowledged the pressing danger of religious fanaticism and radical Islamism in Germany and stressed the importance of continuing to take action against such acts. Therefore, it's crucial that the Federal Prosecutor is now in charge of investigating the matter to establish the complete background.
On Friday, a 25-year-old man, who is an Afghan national, assaulted an event hosted by the Islam-critical organization Pax Europa (BPE) on Mannheim's market square. This resulted in six injuries, including one sustained by a 29-year-old police officer who succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. The assailant was stopped by another police officer's gunshot. A video shows the attacker observing Pax Europa's information stand before attacking. A connection between the attack and the Islam-critical event seems plausible due to its aggressive language, such as the slogan, "Political Islam threatens democracy, freedom, security, and human rights!".
The assailant, who is currently under health watch, has yet to be interrogated. This means investigators hope to extract more information from the evidence discovered during his residence in Heppenheim's search.
So far, few details are known about the assailant. There were no known criminal or extremist connections to him. He moved to Germany in 2013 as a teenager, filed a rejected asylum application in 2014, and received a deportation ban presumably for being underage. In Heppenheim, he lived with his wife and two children. His wife's whereabouts and potential interrogation status are unknown.
In response to the young policeman's death, mourning ceremonies have been arranged. Baden-Württemberg's Interior Minister Thomas Strobl ordered a minute of silence and flowers for the deceased officer. Police in Mannheim want to pay their respects to their colleague at a memorial service, scheduled for a week after the incident. Meanwhile, a permitted demonstration in Mannheim with mourning flowers attracted around 8,000 people.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a firm stance against extremists. Scholz claimed the officer had paid the ultimate price for peace and safety. He insisted that any attempts by extremists to hinder freedom of movement and expression will be strongly opposed.
The Hamburg government plans to advocate for the deportation of severely criminal Syrians and Afghans at the next Interior Ministry Conference. A reevaluation of Afghanistan's security situation and that of the Syrian capital, Damascus, is also needed. The Federal Interior Ministry confirmed Minister Faeser's (SPD) thorough examination of the prospects for deporting criminals and dangerous individuals back to Afghanistan. However, challenges remain, including the uncertain security situation in Afghanistan and the absence of an internationally recognized government, which must be addressed.
BSW party founder Sahra Wagenknecht calls for changes in migration policy, emphasizing the increasing criminality among non-Germans and the resulting violent assaults, rapes as a major concern. The Left party leader, Martin Schirdewan, strongly denounced the Mannheim attack, but did not wish to implicate an entire community. Condemnations against the violence were also voiced by Palestinian Autonomy Authority representative in Germany, Laith Arafeh, and the Democratic Alliance for Diversity and Renewal (Dava)'s board, which includes ex-members of Islamic organizations.
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The "Rheinische Post" reports that the Bundestag will discuss the issue of violence against police officers during a plenary session, following a request from the Union faction. The head of the Police Union (GdP), Jochen Kopelke, suggested, "The German Bundestag should tackle the topic of violence against police officers and knife attacks." This should involve "decisiveness in enforcing deportations of criminals and support for police officers."
Regarding the outcome for the perpetrator, if convicted in Mannheim, they would need to serve their sentence in Germany. However, the decision to deport a criminal following the completion of their sentence depends on a range of considerations. These include the current state of the individual's home country and other factors.
