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The fatal attack on a 20-year-old in Bad Oeynhausen is shocking. The suspect is in custody. The investigation will continue over the weekend – as will a political debate.
Bad Oeynhausen – In the case of the fatal attack on a 20-year-old in the spa gardens of Bad Oeynhausen in East Westphalia-Lippe, the investigation continued over the weekend. “We’re staying on the ball,” said a spokesman for the police in Bielefeld. Witness statements are also being processed further. Many questions remain unanswered almost a week after the crime.
An 18-year-old suspect was taken into custody on charges of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. According to the public prosecutor’s office, he had not previously known the victim. The trigger and motive for the crime remain unclear. Further information from the public is still “indispensable,” the police spokesman stressed.
Debate on immigration and deportation
The case has caused consternation across the country and there is great sympathy. At the same time, it has sparked a new political debate about refugee immigration and the deportation of criminals. The accused Syrian is said to have suddenly attacked the 20-year-old on the night of last Sunday, hitting and kicking his head. The young man died a few days later in hospital. According to investigators, the accused had already attracted attention in the past for violent, property and drug-related crimes, but had no previous convictions.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) said that the person who commits an act is always responsible, but at the same time it is legitimate to ask what the causes and backgrounds might be. He does not believe that this is “just a question of unsuccessful integration,” Reul told the news channel Welt-TV. “Perhaps integration cannot succeed at all if we allow such large numbers of people to come to our country.” The federal government must follow up with “clear actions” on how to resolve the issue of immigration.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had previously said at an SPD event – broadcast in part on Welt-TV – that the 18-year-old Syrian suspect was also an example of “unsuccessful social integration”. The perpetrator must be “punished with the utmost severity,” the SPD minister told Bild. “It is clear that early intervention is needed with young criminals and violent offenders: before they become increasingly violent, they need clear stop signals through rapid criminal proceedings and tangible punishments. We are also working hard to ensure that, in addition to consistent prosecution, we can also enforce the deportation of criminals to Syria again.”
Mood heated up in Bad Oeynhausen
The mayor of the city, Lars Bökenkröger (CDU), called the mood in Bad Oeynhausen “aggressive and heated”. In an interview with WDR, he spoke of the great emotionality surrounding the issue. “And that is of course understandable. But boundaries are often crossed. Of course, it is immediately exploited for political purposes without knowing the background.” Bökenkröger said: “But we also have to talk openly.” And added: “Of course, whether there is a connection between migration and crime. There have been numerous cases, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. So there must be no ban so that such young people can and must be deported.”
CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann said: “This new case of brutal violence makes it clear: Unchecked and uncontrolled refugee immigration not only overwhelms us, but also represents a serious security risk.” Clear decisions are needed in the areas of juvenile and knife crime, as well as the possibility of deporting criminals to Afghanistan and Syria, he told “Bild”.
Investigators’ findings so far
It is still unclear whether there are other suspects – and whether there could be many people involved, the public prosecutor’s office reported. Several of the Syrian’s companions – young Germans – had testified that the 18-year-old had carried out the attack alone. The Syrian came to Germany with his parents and siblings in 2016 and lived in Pforzheim before moving to Bad Oeynhausen. So far, the 18-year-old has remained silent on the allegations. dpa
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