23-1-2025 (BERLIN) A horrific incident unfolded in the Bavarian city of Aschaffenburg yesterday when a knife-wielding assailant killed two people, including a toddler, in a devastating attack at a public park that has sent shockwaves through Germany and reignited debates about immigration policies.
The assault, which occurred shortly before midday, claimed the lives of a two-year-old child of Moroccan descent and a 41-year-old local man who heroically attempted to protect a group of nursery children from the attacker. Three others were wounded in the incident, including a Syrian toddler who sustained neck injuries.
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann confirmed that police swiftly apprehended a 28-year-old Afghan national near the crime scene. The suspect, whose asylum application had been rejected, was scheduled for voluntary departure from Germany late last year but remained in the country.
The incident has drawn sharp criticism from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who described it as an “unbelievable act of terror” and demanded answers regarding the suspect’s continued presence in Germany despite his failed asylum status.
According to authorities, the suspect had a documented history of violent behaviour and mental health issues, having been referred for psychiatric treatment on three separate occasions. A subsequent search of his accommodation at an asylum centre revealed psychiatric medication but no evidence of extremist ties.
Among the injured, a nursery teacher suffered a broken arm whilst fleeing the attack, and another adult required surgery for multiple chest wounds. Health Minister Judith Gerlach confirmed that the injured Syrian child’s condition was not serious.
The timing of this tragedy has particular political significance, coming just weeks before Germany’s general election on 23 February. Opposition leaders have seized upon the incident, with Conservative leader Friedrich Merz calling for restored “law and order” and far-right Alternative for Germany’s Alice Weidel advocating for stricter immigration controls.
The attack marks the latest in a series of similar incidents that have plagued Germany in recent months, including a deadly stabbing at a Solingen street festival last August that left three dead and eight wounded.
Chancellor Scholz expressed his frustration, stating, “A false notion of tolerance is completely inappropriate here,” and called for a thorough investigation into the administrative oversights that allowed the suspect to remain in Germany despite his rejected asylum status.
