Berlin unveils new security package after Solingen attack

Leading German government politicians on Thursday came up with a package of security measures that aim to prevent a repeat of the deadly knife attack in the western city of Solingen last week, in which three died.

The attack has ignited a renewed debate on migration and asylum law across the country, with the main suspect being a Syrian asylum-seeker who had been facing a deportation order that failed to be carried out. The 26-year-old man is believed to have links with the terror group "Islamic State" (IS), which claimed responsibility for the attack, though this has not been verified.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann said the measures were designed to combat extremist Islamic ideology, to facilitate the deportation of rejected asylum-seekers and to tighten rules on weapons.

What does the package include?

Presenting the package in Berlin, Faeser said knives would be banned at public festivals, sporting events and similar public occasions.

There is also to be a "general knife ban" on long-distance trains and buses, she said, while the government would "introduce a general ban on the use of switchblades."

Faeser also said that benefits would be cut for those asylum-seekers for which another European state was responsible under the Dublin agreement, if that state agreed to the return of the person.  

Under the EU-wide agreement, an asylum application is to be processed by the first country the asylum-seeker comes to.

Asylum-seekers are also to lose their protected status if they travel to their homelands unless for important reasons, such as the funeral of a family member. Ukrainian refugees are to be excepted from this rule.

Faeser said that requirements for a license to possess weapons would be tightened so that extremists had no access to weapons and explosives.

Moreover, police and security officials will get expanded powers to counter potential Islamist threats. These include access to individuals' biometric data and government actions banning Islamist groups in the country, according to Faeser.

The changes would also make it easier to deport foreigners from Germany if they have committed a crime with a weapon. Faeser said the "far-reaching" and "tough measures" would mean criminal records could lead to asylum claims being denied.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was pleased the proposal had been finalized "so quickly" and "so precisely."

js,tj/nm (dpa, AFP)