Germany to deport Afghans and Syrians after policeman killing

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says asylum seekers from Syria and Afghanistan who commit serious crimes will be deported to their home countries, in a significant change of policy that comes days after a policeman was killed by a suspected Islamist extremist.

In a statement to the Bundestag on Thursday, Scholz also said that immigrants who glorified or condoned terrorism would be deported.

“I find it outrageous that people can commit serious crimes who have sought protection from us here,” Scholz said. “Such criminals must be deported, even if they come from Syria and Afghanistan.”

The announcement came four days after a police officer succumbed to wounds sustained during a knife attack by an Afghan national in the south-western city of Mannheim last Friday.

German authorities have so far been reluctant to send back Syrians and Afghans whose asylum claims were rejected in view of the dire security situation in both countries.

But the mood in Germany has hardened significantly in the wake of the Mannheim attack, which has dominated the final days of campaigning for the European elections. The far-right Alternative for Germany party has seized on the attack to criticise what it sees as the government’s lax immigration policies.