German Chancellor Olaf Schultz vowed on Monday to intensify deportation efforts and reduce illegal immigration during his visit to Solingen, where a stabbing attack over the weekend resulted in three fatalities.
During his visit to the western German city, Schultz expressed his outrage at the extremists threatening peaceful coexistence within the community.
The attack is believed to have been carried out by a Syrian national affiliated with the terrorist organization ISIS.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Germany has taken over the investigation into the stabbing, confirming that the authorities now classify the attack, which was claimed by ISIS, as a terrorist act.
Earlier, the attacker, identified as 26-year-old Issa from Deir ez-Zor, Syria, was apprehended more than 26 hours after the incident. Issa arrived in Germany in December 2022, applied for asylum in Bielefeld, and was granted temporary protection—a status provided to individuals fleeing war zones.
The police reported that the stabbing was carried out indiscriminately but with precision, as all victims were targeted in the neck.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in a message posted on Telegram, though the assailant’s name was not revealed, and the organization described the attack as retaliation for Palestine.
The incident led to the cancellation of several planned events in the region, heightened security alert levels in North Rhine-Westphalia, and increased security measures across Germany.
