Chancellor Scholz wants Germany to step up deportations after Solingen attack

SOLINGEN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday said he wants to step up deportations of unauthorised migrants, days after a deadly knife attack in the western city of Solingen, reported German news agency (dpa).

Deportations should be accelerated “with legal regulations if necessary”, Scholz said on a visit to Solingen.

The chancellor also called for “consistent, practical enforcement” of existing laws, including for migrants applying for asylum in Germany – and not in the first European Union country where they arrived – in contravention of the Dublin Regulation.

“It will certainly make sense to establish a taskforce to study this,“ Scholz added.

Three people were killed and eight others injured in the attack on Friday at a market square in Solingen’s city centre.

The 26-year-old suspect, who is originally from Syria, was subsequently remanded in custody by order of an investigating judge.

The man, who is suspected of membership in the Daesh group, was reportedly due to be deported to Bulgaria after arriving in Germany in 2022, but police were unable to locate him.

- Bernama, dpa