Germany: Solingen attack suspect named, remanded in custody

German prosecutors on Sunday released the name of the 26-year-old Syrian man suspected of a multiple stabbing attack in the western city of Solingen that killed three people and injured eight others.

Issa Al H., who was identified without his family name due to German privacy laws, was flown by helicopter to the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe for his first hearing.

Al H. was remanded in custody on suspicion of murder and membership of the so-called "Islamic State" (IS) group, among other charges, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office said.

IS claimed responsibility for Friday's attack, saying it was in "revenge for Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere." But the group did not provide evidence and it is not possible to verify the claim.

Earlier Sunday, police said the suspect had turned himself in and admitted responsibility for the attack. German news magazine Spiegel reported that the suspect came to Germany in 2022 as a refugee and applied for asylum in the city of Bielefeld. 

According to Germany's dpa news agency, the man's asylum claim was denied and he was to have been deported last year. The agency cited no sources for its information.

Al H. came from a home for refugees in Solingen that was searched on Saturday, according to Herbert Reul, the interior minister of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Solingen is situated.

Random stabbings at 'Festival of Diversity'

Friday's attack occurred in front of a music stage at an event in Solingen's market square to mark 650 years of the city's history.

Two men, aged 67 and 56, and a 56-year-old woman were killed by the knife-wielding attacker, who also injured eight other people, four of them seriously. Those with serious injuries were said on Sunday to be on the way to recovery after treatment at nearby hospitals.

The assailant fled unidentified amid the panic caused by the attacks, which police said deliberately targeted victims' throats.

German officials have said that they have also arrested a 15-year-old boy on suspicion that he knew about the planned attack and failed to inform authorities.

Call for stricter knife laws

Amid rising levels of knife crime in Germany, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck has demanded tougher knife laws in the wake of the attack.

"No one in Germany needs to have a knife in a public place," the Green politician said on the X social media platform, formerly Twitter,  adding that "Islamic terrorism" was one of "the biggest security dangers" Germany faces.  

The Solingen incident is likely to further inflame anti-immigration sentiment and xenophobia in some sectors of German society and possibly boost support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of elections next week in the eastern states of Thuringia and Saxony, where the party already enjoys considerable popularity.

mm, tj/nm (AP, dpa, Reuters)

*Editor's note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and urges us to refrain from revealing the full names of alleged criminals.

While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. Sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing.