The suspect in the stabbing, a 28-year-old Afghan, arrived in Germany in late 2022 and subsequently applied for asylum, according to the Joachim Hermann, Bavaria’s interior minister. The suspect was previously treated in a psychiatric facility, according to Hermann, and authorities suspect mental illness played a role in the attack.
The suspect declared intent 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 case, questioning why the suspect remained in Germany. “Authorities must urgently investigate why the attacker was still here, and immediate consequences must follow,” he said.
The chancellor’s unusually strong words come as his election opponents hammer him on his government’s migration policies. Alice Weidel, the chancellor candidate for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), also wasted no time in attacking the conservative Christian Social Union party, which governs in Bavaria.
“Remigration now!” Weidel wrote in a post on X, employing a far-right euphemism for a policy of mass deportations. One of the AfD’s core election messages is that crime is linked to migration and traditional parties are incapable of maintaining public safety.
It’s not just the AfD that is leaning into public frustration on migration. Friedrich Merz, the conservative chancellor candidate belonging to the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), is also vowing to reduce migration and increase security. The conservatives lead in polls at 30 percent, while the AfD is second at 21 percent.
