Syrian attacker in German festival stabbing was set for deportation

A Syrian man who killed three people and injured eight others in a knife attack at a diversity festival in Solingen, Germany, had previously been slated for deportation.

The 26-year-old suspect, identified as Issa al H., entered the European Union through Bulgaria but applied for asylum in Germany in 2022. Despite his application being rejected, he was not deported, a situation that mirrors hundreds of thousands of similar cases across the country, Remix News reports.

After his asylum rejection, the man reportedly went into hiding before resurfacing six months later. By then, his deportation order had expired. Instead of initiating a new deportation process, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees granted him "subsidiary protection status," typically reserved for individuals facing serious danger in their home countries.

The attack occurred on Friday evening at the "Festival of Diversity" in the western state of Solingen. Several victims remain hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, as the assailant reportedly targeted their necks during the assault. The suspect initially fled but turned himself in to police on Saturday morning.

In the aftermath, the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group released a statement claiming the attacker was a "soldier" who had targeted a "gathering of Christians" in retaliation for Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere. This marks the first time since 2016 that IS has claimed responsibility for an attack on German soil.

Similar attacks by individuals facing deportation orders have occurred across the continent, including a recent case in France where only 0.2 percent of Algerians ordered to leave the country were actually deported.