German leader vows to sharpen knife control after deadly stabbing

People place flowers near the scene of a knife attack in Solingen city center, Germany, August 24, 2024. (Henning Kaiser/ dpa via AP)
People place flowers near the scene of a knife attack in Solingen city center, Germany, August 24, 2024. (Henning Kaiser/ dpa via AP)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says a deadly knife attack Friday was an act “terrorism against us all,” pledging swift action to tighten weapons controls and deport migrants.

A 26-year-old Syrian man with links to the Islamic State group is accused of stabbing three people to death and wounding another eight at a street festival in western Germany’s Solingen. IS claimed the attack was “revenge” for Muslims “in Palestine and everywhere”

“This was terrorism, terrorism against us all,” Scholz says at a press conference in Solingen.

“We will now have to tighten up the weapons regulations… in particular with regard to the use of knives,” Scholz adds. “I’m sure this will happen very quickly.”

Germany will also have to “do everything we can to ensure that those who cannot and must not stay here in Germany are repatriated and deported,” Scholz says.

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